


A Tale of Kline

by MorganKline



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:15:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28457412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganKline/pseuds/MorganKline
Summary: Kelly Kline is a presidential aide who accidentally walked into a war she could have never anticipated by being impregnated with the Devil's child. Castiel is an ex angel of the Lord devoted to the Winchesters who only wants to protect the people he loves, no matter what the cost is. When the two are thrown together, they fall in love. Unfortunately, the baby Kelly is carrying will either kill her or unleash an endless army of demons and angels upon the innocent human and rebel angel. This is the story of what happened after they ran away together.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Castiel/Kelly Kline (Supernatural)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**_Kelly_ **

  
  


My name is Kelly Kline. I used to be a Secret Service agent for President Rooney… until he and I had an intimate night together and I got pregnant. You can’t _imagine_ how excited I was to be a mother, but of course I needed Rooney to help me raise the child. _Then_ I was kidnapped out of nowhere and taken to a motel room where I met the Winchester brothers, Sam and Dean, a woman named Rowena who claimed to be a witch, her son Crowley the “king of Hell” and _him…_ an angel of the Lord named Castiel. Muscular body, bedhead raven hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a deep voice that made me feel safe. 

As soon as I saw him, we locked eyes and… it was like everything just stopped. I could  _ feel  _ his kind and selfless aura, and by the amazed look in his eyes I knew he could feel my soul, too. Even the baby in my womb stopped kicking and I felt as though we would be safe, so long as Castiel was around. 

Still, the Winchesters continued explaining the situation: President Rooney was possessed by Lucifer, the devil himself, and the child I was carrying was a nephilim… an abomination. And when I put my hand on that Bible and it lit up into flames, I knew they weren’t lying to me. So, being a headstrong pregnant woman, I confronted Rooney and he tried to kill me. Luckily, Sam was there to stop him and I was able to run away. Unluckily, he sent out a demon to trap me until the baby was born. The demon, Dagon, told me that when my son was born, I would die. There was no possible chance I could survive his birth. She convinced me that my son was destined to be evil and destroy the world, and I’m sorry to say that I ever believed her. 

So I killed myself. I took a shard of broken mirror to my wrists and bled out in a bathtub. But my son… he reached out to me. He grabbed my hand before I could go to Heaven and guided me back. He begged me not to go… he  _ wanted  _ me to live… he wanted  _ me _ … his mother… and he brought me back to life. His soul surged through me and repaired my broken body, and I could  _ feel  _ it… he was  _ kind  _ and  _ selfless.  _ With the exception of his powers, he was  _ nothing  _ like Lucifer. He was just a scared baby,  _ terrified  _ of the world around us. My baby… how could he  _ ever  _ be an abomination? 

I took care of myself now: I ate, I bathed, I took my vitamins, and I even sang lullabies to the precious child in my stomach. That’s how Castiel found me: lying on a blanketed bench singing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” to my unborn child. 

However, he was the one holding the Colt gun at us. 


	2. Chapter Two

**_Castiel_ **

  
  


My name is Castiel. I am… well, more or less  _ was _ … an angel of the Lord. Before I met Sam and Dean, I served only Heaven. Now I serve Heaven  _ and  _ Earth. However, I am not exactly… well…  _ welcomed  _ into Heaven with open arms anymore, not after all I’ve done for Sam and Dean. I am still an angel, but I no longer serve God or Heaven in conquests. 

I am a rebel. 

Before I met Kelly, I was convinced that all nephilims were abominations… dangerous threats to the natural balance of things. But as soon as I saw her… I  _ knew  _ there was something special about her child, her son. Even after she ran away, there was a part of me that held back whenever there was a plan to kill her and her child, as everyone was convinced that any child of Lucifer’s would destroy the world in a second. I loved the Earth, so I was determined to do  _ anything  _ to keep Lucifer’s son from destroying it. That’s why I partnered up with Kelvin and Joshua, angel soldiers: to track Dagon down and kill her... as well as Kelly and her son. 

But seeing Kelly pregnant and  _ so vulnerable _ , I made a serious call. I made a choice that would affect all of the Earth forever. I chose between saving the world from a potentially evil nephilim, or sparing a young woman’s life because of a feeling I had. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

The car ride was quiet for the most part. Neither of us dared to utter a sound after the act I’d committed. That is, until we were ten miles away from Dagon’s torture chamber. 

“Guess you finally caught me,” Kelly muttered with a weak chuckle. I didn’t respond. “Back in the basement… you were sent to kill me.” It wasn’t a question. Kelly knew why I was there. I didn’t have to nod. “But you didn’t.” I sped up a little, hoping to put as much distance between us and Dagon as I could. She smiled weakly. “Thank you, Castiel.” 

“Please don’t thank me,” I muttered. “I had a mission and I failed. The entire world could suffer because of me.” 

Kelly looked down somberly, knowing I was right. “And now?” 

I gave her a side glance. She looked so innocent. “Now I’ve run out of orders. I’m just trying to put as much distance between you and Dagon as I can.” 

She looked back up at me again with another smile. “You’re a good man, Castiel. I trust you.” 

I tapped on the steering wheel and took a heavy breath. “You shouldn’t trust me, Kelly, my entire mission revolved around killing you and your son, and I still  _ need  _ to accomplish that mission. You know that.” 

“No, Castiel, you don’t,” she said. “Before you came after me, I would have agreed with you, but now… I’m not so sure he  _ shouldn’t  _ be born.” 

I sped up a little more.  _ She’s probably delirious from lack of sleep.  _ “I’m going to get you to the nearest motel. You deserve rest and nourishment after all you’ve been through, Kelly.” 

Kelly shifted, her smile still on her beautiful face. “You’ll see soon, Castiel, you’ll see what a miracle Jack will be.” 

I couldn’t help but smile a bit, even though I was very unnerved by her calm attitude towards the devil child in her body. “ _ Jack?  _ Kelly, you shouldn’t become so attached. Even if you are able to elude the demons and angels, you know that you won’t survive his birth. You  _ know  _ that.” 

Kelly’s smile diminished and she curled herself up as much as she could. “I know, but I’m going to love him while I can. I’ve been so horrible to him for the past month: I haven’t eaten, I haven’t slept, I hadn’t  _ bathed,  _ I had to be force- fed vitamins… I haven’t been taking care of him like I should. He deserves so much better.” 

I almost swerved off the road at this news. “ _ You haven’t eaten or slept?”  _

“Castiel-” 

I reached into the backseat and pulled out a blanket and draped it over her. “Not another word. I don’t care if you’re carrying the Devil’s son, you get some sleep and I will drive us to Welcome Inn.” 

“Sorry, what?” Kelly sounded shocked that I was more concerned over her than the fact that she groomed the nephilim inside of her. 

“It’s a five star motel,” I explained. “It has a great breakfast menu, serves the best chocolate chip strawberry pancakes on Earth, clean water, insulation, electricity, a warm bath-” 

“ _ Castiel!”  _ Kelly gasped with a surprised laugh. “I’m  _ fine,  _ you don’t have to treat me like a queen.” 

“You have been through  _ horrible  _ torture, Kelly,” I responded. “ _ And  _ you are dying soon. The least I can do is make your last moments on Earth as wonderful as possible. You deserve that, at the very least.” 

“ _ Cas… _ ” 

“No. Now go to sleep, or I will put you to sleep.” 

“No, it’s not that. Cas,  _ thank you.  _ You deserve every bit of praise I can give you. Thank you for being so kind to me, even though you were sent to kill me.” Kelly gave a soft chuckle and settled herself in a comfortable position using the recliner. Then she laid down facing me and closed her eyes. “Goodnight, Castiel.” 

I smiled at her. “Goodnight, Kelly.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------

“Kelly? Kelly, please wake up. We’re at the inn and I bought some breakfast.” 

The young woman stirred in her sleep and made herself open her eyes. When she saw that I wasn’t in the driver’s seat, she turned her head to her window and saw the plate of chocolate chip, strawberry covered pancakes I was holding out for her. I saw her green eyes light up instantly, and I set it down on her lap with the silverware. She ate the entire stack (there were four and they were  _ thick _ ) in less than five minutes. I honestly hoped she wouldn’t throw up, but expected her to in any case. When she didn’t, I put the plate back in the car and started to walk back around, but my phone started to buzz. I took it out and looked at the caller ID. 

It was Joshua… the angel who sent me to kill Kelly. 


	3. Chapter 3

_ Kelly _

  
  


Castiel stood outside of the car for almost five minutes. He was on his phone and looking extremely somber about something (which I could only guess was about me). When he eventually came back, he looked so tired, even sad, and I let my sympathy leak to this angel who had spared my life. 

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Are you okay?” 

Castiel sighed and shook his head. “I was communicating with Joshua. He’s an angel, I… I was getting my orders.” He shifted in his seat and faced me, allowing me to see the sorrow in his eyes. “I couldn’t kill you back in the basement, Kelly, I… I just  _ couldn’t,  _ so now I will take you to Heaven. Your life will end, your baby’s too… I’m sorry. But I promise it’ll be swift and painless--” 

“No,” I said, cutting him off. “No, you don’t know….” I looked down at my stomach and traced a finger across my skin, occasionally glancing at the cuts on my wrists. “What if it doesn’t work?” 

“No human form can step through the gate and survive, Kelly,” he responded. “Your souls, they’ll ascend to Heaven, and every cell of your beings will return to the universe. I’ve already asked Joshua to set up something amazing and safe for you and your son.” I sniffled and hugged my stomach. Castiel gently placed a hand on my shoulder and smoothed my hair off in a comforting way. “I’m sorry, Kelly, but he’s the son of Lucifer, he’s a human-archangel hybrid. That power… it’s  _ beyond  _ comprehension. Your child could bring the universe  _ to its knees  _ without lifting a finger!” 

I looked back at him. He was scared of Lucifer. He didn’t know how much my baby feared him, too. He  _ had  _ to know. He was the only person left that I could ever trust. 

“Or lift it to its feet,” I told him. “This baby… nothing is born evil. You don’t know his soul, Castiel, if you just try to listen to him--” 

“ _ If he’s born, that’s not something you can survive _ ,” Castiel growled, his tone obviously more afraid than angry. “And I just can’t take that chance with Lucifer, not again.” 

_ Not again?  _ I wondered.  _ What does he mean “not again”? Unless…  _

Suddenly, Castiel’s persistent fear made sense. 

“He possessed you, too,” I gasped. “Didn’t he?” 

Castiel was silent for a minute. He sighed. “Before Rooney… before Vance… there was another evil cosmic threat that wanted to destroy the universe, a threat that Lucifer had the power to stop. He wanted Sam, but I couldn’t let that happen to him, not again. I thought that if  _ I _ let him in, even for a second, we could stand a chance against this Darkness, so I took Sam’s place as his vessel. But as time went on, I got weaker and he got stronger, and he went against my friends to kill the Darkness on his own. He almost killed everyone I loved. The Darkness had gotten him out of me, she went off-world, and  _ he _ stayed behind to decide what  _ he  _ wanted to do with the universe. Sam and Dean… I swore that I would never let him hurt them again. That’s why I can’t take that chance, Kelly… none of us can.” 

I let his story sink in and felt wave after wave of sympathy wash over me. No  _ wonder  _ he was afraid of my baby-- he’d seen firsthand what Lucifer could and would do to the world, and now that Lucifer had impregnated me with his son… it was enough to scare anyone. Still, my baby  _ wasn’t  _ Lucifer, and Castiel had to know that. But before I could try to talk to him, he was already starting up the truck and trying to block the horrible memories out, and I couldn’t jump back on him like that. It just wasn’t fair. So I laid back and tried to think of a better time to tell Castiel about what had happened before he found me. 

Strangely, when he tried to turn the engine it sputtered. Confused, he tried again. It gave another weak sputter and died. Instinctively, I put a hand on my stomach, and Castiel looked over at me. 

“He killed the engine, didn’t he?” he asked, looking more moderately annoyed than terrified. 

I shrugged. “I, er, don’t think he wants to go to Heaven.” 

He frowned at my stomach for a moment before getting out of the car. I was confused, but then he walked around and opened my door while pulling a wallet out of his trenchcoat pocket. I almost laughed as I pushed myself out of the vehicle, but I couldn’t hide a smile from this resourceful angel who was now guiding me towards the motel. 

“You are amazingly creative,” I said as we walked in. 

He sat me down on an old couch before going to the front desk where a bored-looking fat guy was standing. 

Castiel set down some notes on the counter. “One room for one night. My wife is tired, and our car broke down.” 

I blushed at Castiel calling me his wife. The guy behind the counter glanced my way and shrugged as he reached under for a key or something. “Name?” 

“Dean and Claire Kilmer,” Castiel responded. 

The guy set a key down in front of him. “Room 27.” 

“Thank you.” Castiel took the key and walked towards me. “Let’s go.” 

As a bit of a tease, I couldn’t help but play with him. “Okay,  _ sweetheart _ .” 

Castiel got a small blush on his cheeks but guided me up the stairs wordlessly. I followed close behind, proud of myself. 

The room was located on the outside of the building, so we had to go back out and climb up another set of stairs before Castiel located the room, unlocked it, and allowed both of us inside. I went to one of the windows, just to get a little air, but Castiel immediately closed it and the blinds, saying, “You need to keep out of sight until I can get us back on the road.” I almost rolled my eyes, but my throat was very dry and I just wanted water so I tried making my way to the bathroom. Seeing the window a second before I set foot in, I wasn’t surprised when Castiel pulled me back and set me on the bed. 

I pouted. “Come  _ on,  _ I’m really thirsty.” 

“Then tell me,” he said. “I can get it. Just sit.” 

_ Now  _ I rolled my eyes as he took a cup from the counter and used the sink to fill it with water. Then he handed it to me and I let out a bit of a raspy, “Thank you,” and promptly drained about half of it. Satisfied, Castiel took out his phone and started typing something. Probably how to fix a car engine. I smiled and refocused my attention on my water, but I saw the scars on my wrists instead. 

I suddenly realized the real reason my baby had killed the engine. I could almost hear him whispering,  _ Tell him. He needs to know. He needs to understand.  _ I took a deep breath. 

“Something happened to me, Castiel,” I confessed. “I lost hope, I tried to…” Another breath. In. Out. “I… I  _ killed  _ myself.” 

This had the desired effect: Castiel dropped his phone, not caring that it cracked on the ground, and stared at me in horror and in pity. 

I decided to continue. “I took a shard out of a mirror and cut my wrists.” I held out both of them for him to see and he walked over, sat down, and gently brushed his thumbs over the scars. They glowed a little before vanishing, but I still felt it. “I  _ died,  _ Cas. But then…” I took one of my hands out of his and brushed it over my beloved baby bump. “...he  _ saved  _ me. He brought me back to life.” 

Cas looked down at my hands, a dawning look of comprehension on his face. “ _ That was the pulse _ . We felt that in Heaven.” 

I nodded, a smile clear and bright on my face. “His power…  _ his soul  _ surged through me, and it was  _ good,  _ Cas. It was kind, and selfless, and  _ pure.  _ He’s  _ nothing  _ like Lucifer. I feel… I  _ know  _ he is good. I just do.” 

“Kelly…” Castiel sighed, his thumbs gently brushing over my skin again. “What your child did, that’s a  _ testament  _ to his power… but it’s not proof of some goodness. He needs you alive.” 

I nodded. “Maybe… or maybe it was a  _ miracle.  _ Maybe…” I felt my heartbeat quicken in my excitement. “Maybe everything that I’ve gone through, everything that I  _ still  _ have to go through, is happening for a  _ reason.  _ Maybe…” I faced the angel who looked pitiful at me. “It’s part of some  _ Plan! _ ” 

Castiel gently took my hands again. Seeing him closer, I realized that there was an empty sorrow in his eyes, like a man who had lost purpose in life and was just…  _ breathing.  _ And the lines on his face, those weren’t worry lines… those were scars and fading creases from someone who had spent his entire life fighting for a purpose… a purpose he no longer believed in. 

“ _ Kelly _ …” he sighed. “It isn’t.  _ I  _ used to believe in a Plan.  _ I  _ used to believe I had some special mission.  _ I  _ used to spend my existence fighting for it. For Heaven, for God, but... “ He sighed again, his bright blue eyes dimming even darker. “...I have been through  _ enough  _ now to know that everyone is just… just  _ winging it.  _ Some of us quite badly…. Lucifer…” His face morphed into extreme hatred at that name. “He’s just breaking  _ toys.  _ He’s sewing destruction and chaos, and there is  _ no  _ grand purpose at work. And there’s no ‘ _ special role _ ’ for you, Kelly, I promise. When Lucifer took over Rooney’s body…” He stopped himself, his rage fading away to look at me in sympathy and sorrow. “ _ I’m sorry,  _ Kelly… you were just there.” 

There was complete silence for a while. I stared into his eyes, now completely seeing Castiel, the angel who had risked  _ so much  _ for me: a broken soldier whose trust had been destroyed. An angel who had trusted God with  _ everything,  _ only to be let down and punished for his loyalty. He had no faith left. Castiel wasn’t living anymore, he was just there… just like I was. That’s why he said those things to me: he didn’t want someone else to be hurt due to blind faith… just like he was. 

Eventually, Castiel let his head drop and he tried to stand back up to go back to his broken phone, but I took his big calloused hand and looked him in the eye once more. 

“I know my baby can be good for this world, Cas,” I said. “And I  _ know _ that you  _ do  _ have a purpose in life. I believe in you, and I believe in my baby.” 

“Kelly, if he’s born… that is  _ not  _ something you can survive.” He was repeating himself from earlier, but we both knew it was true. “So even if you  _ are  _ right, and even if the worst  _ isn’t  _ inevitable, then  _ who  _ will care for him when you’re gone?  _ Who?  _ Who is strong enough to  _ protect him  _ from the evil influences, and to keep him on the righteous path?” 

I looked down, knowing he was right and knowing that I didn’t have  _ anyone  _ to protect my son, only to be startled by a small kick in my stomach. I let out a weak chuckle at my child’s purity and innocence. 

“What’s wrong?” Castiel asked. 

“Nothing,” I answered. “He just kicked.” I put my hands over my bump to feel it, but as I raised my head I couldn’t help but notice Castiel’s curious gaze at my stomach and I smiled. “Do… do you want to feel it?” 

“Oh, no… I couldn’t… it’s not my place...” He tried to step away, clearly embarrassed by himself, but I grabbed onto his hand again and placed it onto my stomach. 

“It’s not a big deal, Castiel, he does it almost 20 times a day,” I told him, straightening my back so he could better feel it. 

We both felt it this time: the baby now kicking against my stomach even gentler against Castiel’s hand. He smiled and let out a small chuckle, allowing his hand to carefully caress my baby bump and the child inside. I smiled at him as we shared this amazing feeling. 

_ Suddenly, everything went white and I saw a scene unfolding from below: me and Castiel at a sandbox late at night. Dagon was there, and she was walking towards me with a menacing smirk. But Castiel took one step in front of me and growled, “You stay away from her.” Then I was holding his hand and he was holding Dagon by her arm as her body burst into flames. Finally, Castiel was ushering me into the truck and driving us off somewhere… somewhere safe.  _

_ I felt a gentle hand touch mine and heard the soft and gentle whisper of my son. “It’s okay, Mom, I’m scared, too. But go with Castiel to Heaven, even if it’s scary. He’ll protect us and make sure that we’re safe and sound for my birth.”  _

_ I turned to face my son: a young boy with dirty blond hair in a mid fade, a face like Castiel’s but younger and less scarred, green eyes that looked exactly like mine, a white jacket, and blue jeans. He looked so young, so pure, I couldn’t help but smile at him despite my fear.  _

_ “But Dagon…” I gasped.  _

_ “Castiel will protect us,” my son repeated. “He’s my father, he has to protect us.”  _

_ “Your…” I blinked a few times to process what he said. “Honey, you think Castiel is your father?”  _

_ “I know he is,” my son replied excitedly. “He’s kind and brave and selfless… how could he not be my father? I trust him, Mom, and I know he’ll take care of us and keep us safe.”  _

_ I took my son’s face in my hands. He smiled expectantly, truly believing that Castiel was his father.  _

_ He is, I told myself. He’ll be a better father to my precious baby than Lucifer could ever be. They’re even biologically related, since Castiel was possessed by Lucifer. He is Jack’s father.  _

_ “Okay, baby,” I said. “I’ll tell him. I love you.”  _

_ “I love you, too, Mom,” my son responded. “I can’t wait to meet you.”  _

_ I smoothed my thumb over my son’s cheek, smiling sadly. “Me, too, baby.”  _

Suddenly, I was back in the motel with Castiel. I blinked a few times in shock, and Castiel noticed. He drew his hand back to gently feel my forehead. After what just happened, I treasured the warmth of his touch even more. 

“Kelly, are you alright?” he asked. 

Before I could answer, there was an urgent knock on the door. My brain immediately jumped to,  _ It’s Dagon, she’s here to bring me back.  _ But Castiel jumped up and motioned me to the bathroom while he took out the Colt. I hurried into the bathroom, hiding behind the door, and watching through a crack as Castiel slowly neared the door and yanked it open with the Colt extended. However, there was a recognition in his eyes and he pulled it back and clicked it. 

“ _ Yeah, that’s mine _ ,” a deep and familiar voice growled. 

_ Oh, crap,  _ I thought as I saw Dean Winchester grab Castiel by his shirt and pin him against the wall angrily. Terrified for my angel’s safety, I carefully inched out for them to notice me and take the attention off him. 

“What the hell are you thinking, huh?” Dean demanded. 

“Dean…” Sam, Dean’s brother, gasped, his eyes on me. “ _ Dean! _ ” 

Dean turned his head and saw me standing in the doorway of the bathroom. With a final glance of understanding at Castiel, he let my angel go and backed away. “ _ Kelly? _ ” 

I nodded bitterly, remembering our last meeting. “Hey.” 

“Hey,” Sam echoed. 

“How did you find us?” Cas asked. 

Dean shot a slight glare at him. “Well, while you were  _ scamming  _ us for the Colt, Sam put a tracking app on your phone.” 

Sam nodded. “Cas, when you came back, you didn’t even look us in the eye. Now, you wanna explain what’s going on here?” 

“Yeah, I found Dagon,” Cas admitted. 

“Did you kill her?” Sam asked. 

“No, but…” He received a dirty glare from Dean and snapped, “ _ She’s difficult to kill, okay?! _ ” 

“Yeah.” 

“ _ You think? _ ” 

“Alright, so what are you doing  _ here,  _ then?” Sam questioned. 

Cas sighed in embarrassment. “My truck broke down.” 

“Then why didn’t you call us, Cas?” he demanded. “We could’ve helped you!”

“ _ I know! _ ” Cas growled. “I wanted to keep you two  _ out  _ of this. I was trying to keep you safe!” 

Dean rolled his eyes and groaned. “You’re not our babysitter, Cas,  _ okay?  _ That is  _ not  _ your job. And when in our whole lives have we ever been safe? Huh?” 

“This is  _ my  _ responsibility because it is  _ my  _ plan,” Cas told him. 

“ _ Your plan? _ ” Sam repeated. 

“He’s taking me to Heaven,” I said firmly, feeling my urge to defend Castiel overtake my fear of the Winchesters. 

Dean gave Cas a weird look. “You’re taking her to the  _ sandbox? _ ” 

“Yes,” Cas responded. “I’m ending this once and for all. As much as I hate to say it, Kelly and her baby  _ have  _ to die.” 

“Actually, Cas--” I started to tell him about what happened, but Sam cut me off. 

“No,  _ listen _ ,” he practically shouted. “We found another way!” 

“And you would  _ know that  _ if you picked up your damn phone,” Dean growled condescendingly. 

“Don’t talk to him like that!” I snapped, anger boiling at the man Castiel had risked everything for. “He saved me and tried to protect you both from Dagon! You’re an ungrateful bastard for the way you treat Castiel!” 

“It’s okay, Kelly, I deserve it,” Cas told me before a fight could break out. “Sam, what are you talking about?” 

“What you did with me, with Gadreel, remember?” Sam explained. “The grace extraction. We take the grace from the baby, from the nephilim, and then the baby just becomes--” 

“ _ Human _ ,” Cas finished. 

“ _ Human! _ ” Sam repeated. 

“Wait, that extraction nearly  _ killed  _ you!” Cas cried, sending a fearful look my way. 

“But it didn’t!” Sam argued. 

“Because we didn’t finish it,” Cas replied. “We don’t even know if this would  _ work. _ ” 

“There are  _ kinks,  _ yes, but it’s a  _ plan _ ,” Dean told him. “And it sure beats the hell out of certain death. Am I right?” 

Sam and Dean looked at me, probably waiting for me to agree. Boy, were they wrong. 

No. No, no, no, and  _ no.  _ Absolutely  _ not.  _ My son  _ needed  _ his power, he would  _ die  _ without them! And even if he would live, he would be helpless in a world that would surely tear him apart for being what he is. No, nope,  _ nix,  _ never! Keep your germy hands  _ away  _ from my baby! I would rather go to Heaven and  _ die  _ than let you kill my child. 

Instead of saying all this, I gave a simple, “No,” and grabbed my coat and walked out of the room. As I did, I could hear Cas and the brothers behind me. 

“Kelly!” Sam called. “Hey, Kelly, wait! Wait a second! Look… we can’t imagine what you’ve been through, okay? But we  _ promised  _ we’d find another way, and we did! We found a  _ better way _ . This can work!” 

“I’m going with Castiel,” I snapped. “I trust him, I  _ don’t  _ trust you.” 

“No, Kelly-” Sam blocked my path to the truck. “If you go with Cas, you  _ die,  _ your baby  _ dies _ .” 

“I go with you, and you take away the thing that makes him special!” I hissed. 

“ _ What does that matter if you’re dead? _ ” Sam gasped. 

“That’s the only thing that matters!” I yelled. 

“This girl has lost her mind…” Dean murmured. 

“Hey, Dean,” Cas spat. “That’s unfair, considering what she’s been through.” 

“Oh, you wanna talk about  _ fair? _ ” Dean growled. 

“ _ Do you? _ ” I could hear the pent up fury bubbling in Cas’s voice. 

Sam blocked both of them. “ _ Stop it!  _ Meanwhile, can we take this conversation  _ elsewhere?  _ We’re sitting ducks out here!” 

Dean groaned in defeat. “Sam’s right. Dagon’s after Kelly, your truck is broke down, why don’t we get in the Impala, we’ll head back to the bunker, and we’ll talk? We’ll figure it out.” 

“Right,” Cas muttered. “Okay, we’ll  _ talk _ . Come on, Kelly, I’ll help you get inside.” 

He guided me towards a black Impala, but as we left I could hear Dean mumble, “It’s like herding  _ cats _ ,” and it took all my willpower not to break away from Castiel and punch Dean in the nose. 

“I don’t like him,” I hissed. “He’s arrogant, he’s condescending, he’s ignorant…” 

“I know, but he’s my best friend.” Cas tried to rattle the doors, but they were locked. “ _ Dean!  _ It’s locked!”

Dean rolled his eyes and threw the keys. Cas caught them and unlocked the car to allow me in the front seat. Then he shut the door and allowed himself in the back. He threw the keys up to the front for Dean and laid back, annoyance from Dean’s asshole attitude still fresh on his face. Just the look on his face made me angry at Dean all over again. 

Meanwhile, I was a nervous wreck in the front.  _ This isn’t supposed to happen. Castiel was supposed to take me to Heaven. This isn’t right, we can’t go to the bunker _ . 

“ _ This isn’t supposed to happen this way _ ,” I said aloud. 

“What?” Cas asked. “Is something wrong, Kelly?” 

I didn’t answer. I just looked for something to help get us out of here. That’s when I saw the keys that Cas had thrown to the front for Dean. My hand twitched. I looked out to see Dean and Sam still arguing. They wouldn’t be able to stop me. 

_ This is so stupid _ , I told myself. 

Without any warning to Cas, I grabbed the keys and slid to the other side of the car to start it up. 

“Kelly! What are you-?!” Cas didn’t have time to finish as I slammed my foot onto the gas pedal. 

The car immediately sped forward out of the parking lot and towards the road. I could hear Castiel’s cry of shock as he fell out of the leather seats and onto the ground, and I could see the brothers chasing after us. I didn’t care. I turned the wheel and got us back onto the road and drove as fast and as far away from the Winchesters to find Heaven with my baby’s surrogate father stuck in the backseat. 


	4. Chapter 4

_ Castiel  _

  
  


“Kelly! What are you doing?!” I demanded from the backseat, holding onto the cushions for “dear life” (is that how the expression goes?) as Kelly swerved onto the main freeway. 

“Getting us to Heaven,” she responded. “This… sandbox… that’s where it is, right? You’ll tell me how to get there and we’ll go there together. I want you to stay with me through it all, Castiel, please.” 

I pushed myself up to sit back on the leather seats. “Why are you doing this, Kelly? If you go to Heaven, you and your child will  _ die.  _ At least if you go with Sam’s plan, you have a chance to live. Why do you want to go to Heaven, and why do you want  _ me  _ there? Joshua will have a guard of angels to protect you from any demons, so you don’t need me.” 

“The baby does,” she murmured. 

“ _ What? _ ” I gasped. 

She took a deep breath and glanced at me from the corner of her eyes. “He told me… when you touched my stomach, he told me that if I just went with you, then you would do everything to  _ make sure _ he was born. You asked me who would look after him-- guide him-- when I’m gone, I know now… it’s you, Castiel, it’s always been you.  _ You  _ are his father, his  _ true  _ father.” 

“ _ Me? _ ” I repeated, flabbergasted. “Kelly, I am  _ not  _ someone you should put your faith in. I just betrayed my friends, my family! And on top of that, I could  _ never  _ father a  _ nephilim! _ ” 

“ _ I know _ ,” Kelly said. “But you did it for me… for  _ us. _ ” She sighed and stopped at a red light long enough to turn her head to me and face me with that kind, motherly smile. “I don’t know why it’s you, and I don’t know why it’s  _ me…  _ but I have faith, and that’s enough.” 

My mouth hung open for a minute and I just shook my head, contemplating whether Kelly was hormonal, crazy, delusional, or all three. I sat back and mumbled a prayer in Enochian into my hands, hoping for  _ some  _ clarification to this madness. 

“I  _ can  _ hear you, Castiel,” Kelly snapped playfully. “I know you think I’m crazy, but I trust my son, and he trusts you. He  _ wants  _ you, he truly  _ believes  _ you are his father… and even though you’ve killed in the past and attempted to kill  _ me,  _ I trust you, too. And when we get to Heaven, you’ll see why. So… where is it?” 

Nevermind she could understand Enochian,  _ the demon child in her body believed I was his father?!?  _ Was this some sort of evil trick or something? Either way, I wasn’t about to argue with her. 

“Sesame’s Park,” I answered. “The entrance to Heaven is engraved in the sandbox.” 

Kelly nodded and snickered. “Ironic, huh? Taking a pregnant woman to go to Heaven at a kid’s park.” 

I blinked, but couldn’t stop myself from copying her snicker. “Yes… that  _ is  _ ironic.” 

\---------------------

We arrived at Sesame’s Park late at night. I carefully walked Kelly passed the treeline and towards the sandbox. We stopped only a few meters away, Kelly’s hand grasping mine tightly. 

“Kelly…” I said. “Are you sure you want to do this?” 

She nodded, though I could feel how anxious she was. “Yeah, I’m ready… as long as you’re here, I know everything’s going to be alright.” She gently placed her remaining hand over her baby bump and caressed the child inside. 

I nodded back and guided her closer to the sandbox. Once we were close enough, the box started to glow and Joshua appeared, looking more kind and caring than ever in the pregnant woman’s presence. 

“Hello, Miss Kelly.” He smiled at her comfortingly. “Castiel, you’ve done a great thing. Please rest assured that Miss Kelly and her son will live happily in Heaven, and that you will be welcomed back as the great Castiel.” 

“That doesn’t matter to me,” I told him truthfully. “So long as Kelly is kept safe, and the universe protected.” 

Kelly smiled at me. “Thank you, Cas.” 

Joshua looked between the two of us and sighed with a sad smile. “I’m sorry it’s come to this. Miss Kelly, it’s okay to be afraid, but we will take care of you and your son. You need not--” Suddenly, Joshua exploded in a cloud of grey and the glow of Heaven vanished. I pulled Kelly back in response and, once the cloud cleared up, drew out my angel blade and hid her behind me. I heard her cry of fear and felt her nails digging into the shoulder of my jacket. 

It was Dagon, the demon who tortured Kelly. She waved the cloud away casually and gave that sickly sweet smile. “Thought he’d  _ never  _ shut up.” She got a good look at us, at Kelly hiding in horror behind me as I held up my angel blade fiercely, and put on a look of absolute shock. “Oh, wow! Look at how  _ close  _ you two have grown! And you almost got away! If I hadn’t shown up at the last possible second…” I glared at her, knowing she was lying. She seemed to get the message and chuckled. “You’re right, Angel Boy. JK, I flipped your pal Kelvin  _ ages  _ ago… and then I killed him.” She wiped off some dried blood from her blood red nails just to showcase it. I clutched the blade tighter in my hand. “Now then, Kelly… let’s get back home. Daddy wants his baby back.” 

She took a step towards us and I raised my blade. “ _ You stay away from her _ .” 

“Cas…” Kelly gasped. 

Dagon laughed. “Oh,  _ please,  _ kid, stop. It’s just embarrassing by now.” 

I raised my blade to stab her, but she caught my arm and punched me. Then she threw me to the side and set her sight back on Kelly. 

“C’mon, girl,” she snickered. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.” 

“ _ KELLY! _ ” I tackled Dagon in a fierce panic, allowing Kelly to hide behind the playground equipment. Dagon just threw me off again and gave me another punch which just destroyed my nose. I fell flat on my back, groaning in pain and trying to staunch the bleeding on my face. Dagon raised her foot to my face, but a shot from behind her made her flinch and look back to see Sam and Dean holding their Colts at her. 

“Get the hell away from him, you bitch,” Dean growled. 

Dagon laughed. “Oh, look! The Winchesters! Oh, how  _ happy  _ Daddy’s gonna be when you’re dead.” 

I tried to push myself up, coughing up my own blood, and felt Kelly’s arms wrap around my body and pull me up to my feet. I leaned against the playground equipment for support, unable to really stand on my own, and looked up just in time to see Dagon throw Dean’s Colt to the ground. I felt my breath catch in my throat. Dagon had burned the Colt and broken the nose off. It had lost a main component to its power. You could no longer focus it to give a reliable shot. It was practically useless now. 

Dagon looked back at us with that sinister grin and I guarded Kelly again. “Kelly,  _ run. _ ” But Kelly put a hand on my arm and shook her head. Dagon began walking towards us, and she let her hand travel down my arm and into mine. She grasped my palm tight and I held hers with equal urgency. No matter what, even with my dying breath, I  _ was  _ going to keep Lucifer from getting to her or her child. 

“Awww,” Dagon groaned teasingly. “ _ Adorbs!  _ It’s so  _ cute  _ that you think Angel Boy can protect you or that brat from Daddy and me.” 

Kelly looked at me, but now her irises were glowing a brilliant white. I saw her hand start to glow with the power of her child, and that power quickly spread onto my hand and throughout my body. Then, once the power went into my eyes, everything went white for a second and I felt as though time had stopped. 

_ “F-Father? Castiel… is that you?”  _

_ I blinked and looked around as the white faded away. I was standing on a hill overlooking a city. Down there… I could feel it… there was no pain, no misery, no hunger… everything was… perfect and paradise. I took a deep breath and looked behind me. There was a young boy, no older than five, it seemed, with short blond mid-fade hair, moss green eyes that looked exactly like Kelly’s, a face that resembled my own but younger, a white jacket, and a blue pair of jeans.  _

_ I scrutinized him closely in shock. “Jack? No… you can’t be. You… you’re nothing like Lucifer.” It was true, I could feel the purity of his soul. I could feel how kind and scared he was. The only thing that marked him as Lucifer’s son was the color of his hair and his extraordinary powers.  _

_ Kelly’s son squinted in confusion. “Lucifer… the monster who hurt my mother? Why… why would I be like him? Is the bad woman right? Am I really an abomination? Are you…” his eyes filled with tears as he took on a genuinely horrified expression. “...are you not my father?”  _

_ He was scared. Of Lucifer, of Dagon… of himself. I looked back at the town. Clouds started to form over the beautiful sun. I looked back at him. He was still waiting for my answer, terror still fresh in his eyes.  _

_ “Jack… is this the future?” I asked.  _

_ He nodded timidly and took a small step towards me. “I… I think. It’s the future I see.”  _

_ “It’s paradise,” I whispered.  _

_ Jack shook his head. “No, it’s not, because I can’t find my mother here. I want her to be with me. You’re my father, you’ll protect her… right?”  _

_ I looked at this boy, this child of purity I had once deemed an abomination. This was no child of Lucifer, this was Kelly Kline’s son… and mine, too. He was kind and honest and selfless… how did I not see it before?  _

_ I smiled and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “Yes, Jack, I will be your father. I will take care of your mother and you, and I will find a way to save her. I promise.”  _

_ He copied my smile, a tear falling down his face. “Thank you, Father.” He then did something I never would have expected: he hugged me. He took a confident step towards me and wrapped his arms around my body. Unsure of what else to do, I wrapped my arms around him. It felt warm… happy, even.  _

Suddenly, I was back in the park with Kelly, and I could feel her son’s power coursing through me. Dagon raised her hand to burn me from the inside, but I caught it. She lost her power. 

She stared at her powerless arm in shock. “ _ How…?”  _

I squeezed her wrist tighter, focusing solely on how much I wanted to protect Kelly and her precious son…  _ our precious son.  _ “Call it a miracle.” Then, the skin on Dagon’s arm smoked and turned ablaze. She gasped and started screaming in pain, and I threw her arm away from me right before her entire body burst into fire as she was consumed by the flames and vanished back into Hell. 

Once she was gone, I felt the baby’s power fade from my body. I looked at Kelly, whose eyes were back to their normal green, but she looked amazed and confused and simply asked, “Are you alright, Castiel?” 

“ _ Did you see that? _ ” I asked breathlessly. 

“He spoke to you?” she gasped. 

“ _ Cas! _ ” We both looked to see Sam and Dean getting back on their feet and hurrying over to us. They looked like Kelly: confused and amazed. Dean, however, looked to be in immense pain. It took a second to see that his arm was bent at an odd angle, and I immediately grabbed that arm to heal it. It mended in a fraction of a second, thanks to my angelic powers being boosted by Kelly’s precious son. 

“Are you alright?” I asked my friends. 

“Yeah,” Sam murmured. “Cas, what the hell  _ was  _ that?” 

Kelly and I exchanged a glance before I answered. “It was… me, sort of… but it was also…” I looked down to Kelly’s baby bump. She caressed it lovingly and nodded in confirmation. 

“He saved us,” she sighed. “He was afraid of Dagon, so he helped Castiel to protect us.” 

“Okay, she’s whacked,” Dean groaned before turning his entire focus on me. “Cas, how are you feeling? Did that hurt you? Are you stable?” 

“Yes,” I answered. “Actually, I… I feel better than I have in a long time.” I smiled at Kelly. “I… I have…  _ faith  _ again. And I know now… that this child--  _ our child _ \-- must be born with all of his powers.” 

“ _ What?! _ ” Dean looked and sounded as if I had said I wanted to open the gates of Hell. 

“Cas, you can’t  _ possibly  _ mean that!” Sam exclaimed. “He’s Lucifer’s son, he can’t be born! You said yourself that a nephilim would  _ destroy  _ the world, and--” 

“ _ I know, _ ” I said, cutting him off. “I know what I said before, but now I see that I was wrong. Jack is… he’s  _ pure _ . He’s  _ good _ , and I  _ will _ protect him.” 

“ _ Jack?! _ ” Dean repeated in horror and revulsion. “Wait… did you say  _ our child?! _ ” 

“Thank you, Castiel,” Kelly told me, completely ignoring Sam and Dean. “Thank you, Sam and Dean, for protecting us from Dagon.” 

“Kelly--” Sam tried. 

Dean grabbed me by both of my shoulders and started shaking me. “Cas,  _ snap out of it!  _ If this kid is born, he will destroy the world!  _ Listen  _ to me, you idiot! It’s  _ me,  _ Dean, your fucking  _ best friend!  _ Remember what Lucifer did to you-- to  _ all  _ of us! We have to kill this kid or drain it, you  _ know  _ that, so snap out of whatever trance this thing’s put you under! Listen to me, Cas, before it’s too late and everyone we know and love dies!” 

“ _ Let him go! _ ” Kelly snapped, pushing Dean away from me. “He just saved your life! Both of them!” 

“It’s okay, Kelly,” I whispered. 

“But he-!” 

“They’re  _ scared,  _ Kelly,” I explained. “They don’t know his soul, but it’s okay. I won’t let anyone hurt you or him.” 

“Castiel…” Dean growled. 

“ _ No, _ ” I said. “Thank you for protecting us from Dagon, and for trying to save both Kelly and our son, but we have to go. I’ll come back, I promise, but right now my main priority is Kelly. Let’s go.” 

I started to lead Kelly to the truck, not the Impala, but Sam blocked my way and put a hand on my chest to stop me. 

“We can’t let you go with that kid, Cas,” he warned. “We  _ won’t _ .” 

“Yes, you will.” I put my hand on his forehead and put him to sleep. Before Dean could attack us, I turned to him and raised my hand. 

“ _ Don’t _ .” I ignored him and put him to sleep as well. Then I guided Kelly to the truck and gently helped her inside before closing the door and walking over to my side. 

I was starting the car up when Kelly asked, “What did he tell you?” 

“He didn’t tell me,” I admitted. “He  _ showed  _ me… the future.” 

Kelly’s eyes sparkled with bliss and her smile grew more motherly, more loving (if that were even possible). Smiling myself, I backed the car away from my sleeping friends and drove Kelly and our precious child out of the park and as far away from the Winchesters, or  _ anyone  _ else who threatened to hurt my son, as the truck would allow me to go. 


	5. Chapter 5

**_Kelly_ **

  
  


I slept during the entire car ride, so I don’t know how far we had driven until we reached Castiel’s “emergency safehouse”. All I knew was that I woke up on a very soft couch in front of a fireplace. I sat up carefully, ignoring the cramps in my back as I repositioned myself. I saw that I was in a very lovely living room with pale green walls and a very smooth wood floor. I smiled at the beauty of the room, so distracted that I didn’t hear someone coming down the stairs  _ or  _ see a certain angel walk into the room carrying a silver tray. 

“Kelly!” I jumped and whipped my head around. It was just Castiel. “I’m glad you’re awake. I… well… I-I made you breakfast. I didn’t know what kind of food you prefer, so I went for the traditional breakfast.” He set the silver tray down and set it on the coffee table in front of me. On it was a glass of orange juice, a plate with some plain pancakes, and some pregnancy pills. I smiled and chuckled, and Castiel rubbed the back of his neck nervously. 

Before he could say anything, I placed a hand on his. “Thank you, Castiel.” 

“It’s the least I can do,” he said. “Especially since I tried to kill you and your son.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” I responded. “You saved us from Dagon, you brought us to this safe- house… you even went against your own friends for us. My son is so lucky to have you as a father figure.” 

With a nervous smile, he took a seat next to me. I could feel that something was bothering him about last night. 

“Hey,” I said. “What you did to Sam and Dean was for  _ us.  _ Don’t beat yourself up for protecting Jack, okay? I’m sure the Winchesters will come around, and even if they don’t you’ll still have us. If they’re really your friends, they’ll understand.” 

“I know, it’s just…” Castiel sighed, fiddling with his fingers. “...Dean.” 

“What about him?” I asked. 

“He’s my best friend,” he responded. “And before I saw you, I… I… I had…  _ feelings _ … feelings that I have never had before… for him. I felt that we had a connection  _ more  _ than friendship, maybe even more than  _ family.  _ And then all this happened, and… I grew to like you, Kelly, a lot. And yes, I was afraid of your son… I was terrified that any spawn of Lucifer would destroy the world I love so much… but when he shared his power with me, I could feel the purity in his soul, and I knew that he was a good child. But fighting against Dean… my best friend… it hurt me. And I can still hear him telling me to snap out of it, but I just didn’t listen. And now you and I are all alone, and there’s nothing I can do about it.” 

I knew exactly what he meant. I rested my hand on his, effectively catching his attention. 

“I… I had a family,” I told him. “My parents, Jack and Arlene, were all I had. I love them  _ so  _ much, and I miss them even more. And even before Lucifer tried to kill me, I really thought we had something  _ more…  _ not just cheap and daily sex. But now I have my son, and even though his birth will kill me, I have to prioritize him above all else. And it hurts, it really does, but Jack  _ needs  _ me, he needs  _ us. _ So I’m staying. Besides…” I avoided eye contact now, refusing to let him see me blush. “...I like you too, Cas, even though you tried to kill me. When I first saw you, I felt something tugging at my soul. I felt… I felt like I was  _ safe  _ and  _ loved _ . Even the baby stopped kicking when I saw you. And after all you’ve done for us, for  _ him,  _ I know you’ll be an amazing midwife and an even better father.” 

Castiel smiled a small bit. “Isn’t a midwife typically a woman who assists during childbirth?” 

“You’re right,” I said, rethinking everything. “You’ll be an amazing mid- _ husband _ .” 

Now Castiel chuckled, and I couldn’t help but chuckle with him. I felt his hand give mine a soft squeeze and I blushed again. 

_ Not even a week’s worth of knowing each other, and I’ve fallen in love again _ , I thought.  _ But unlike before, I see the kindness and love in his soul… something Lucifer could never have.  _

I felt my baby’s power coursing through me again, but as Cas was still holding my hand he felt it as well. The room faded away into white for a minute, then transformed into a hill overlooking the lakeside by the house. I felt a bit nauseous for a moment, but Cas steadied me and helped me to lay down on the grass, my head resting on his shoulder as he laid down too. 

“I think he wants us to have a sort of date,” I guessed. 

Cas chuckled again and smoothed his hand through my hair. “I’m fine with that. Are you?” 

I nodded with a blushing smile. “Normally, I would be scared that things are going so fast, but I can tell that you’re not a perverted person, Castiel. Besides,  _ he  _ trusts you.” I placed my hand on my stomach lovingly. 

“Unfortunately, I don’t understand dating very well,” Cas sighed, embarrassed of himself. “I’ve watched some romantic movies and what Dean calls ‘porn’, but I’ve never actually  _ dated  _ anyone before.” 

“That’s okay.” I shifted my body so that I was not laying on him so as to give him his space. Then I gently took his hand and rested it on my baby bump, knowing firsthand that feeling our son’s kicking would calm any anxieties. “Dating is how you get to know a person. Since it’s your first time, we’ll just take turns asking questions about each other. And if you get nervous, just focus on him, okay?” 

“Okay,” Cas agreed, his fingers gently caressing the bump. 

“Okay,” I repeated. “So… what’s your favorite color?” 

He thought for a few seconds. “I really like the color green… like a candy apple.” 

I smiled in agreement. “Green’s a nice color, very soothing. I  _ used  _ to love the color red, but…” I lightly tapped my stomach to give myself an excuse to not finish my sentence. 

“Alright… what about music?” he asked. “Do you like music?” 

“I love music,” I answered. “Especially jazz, it’s exciting and lively.” 

“Jazz…” he murmured. “Like the Blues’ or the Harlem Renaissance?” 

“Yeah,” I said. “Do you like jazz?” 

“I’ve heard it once or twice,” Cas responded. “It  _ was  _ very exciting. However, Dean only listens to rock and roll, and he has this rule where only the driver can choose the music.” 

I let out a small snicker. “Typically, shotgun chooses the music. Still, I used to keep some jazz CDs in my car to listen to on my way to work.” 

“I think there’s a record player in the living room with some disks,” he murmured. “Maybe there are some jazz records that we can listen to.” 

I thought of us together on the couch, me leaning onto him with his lips on my forehead and blushed. “That sounds really nice.” 

Cas gasped and drew his hand back quickly and suddenly. 

“What? What’s wrong?” I asked. 

He stared at my stomach and slowly and gently laid his hand back down on my stomach. “He… he… he  _ connected  _ with me.” 

“He  _ what? _ ” I gasped. 

Cas took my hand and placed it next to his on my stomach. We waited for a few seconds. Then, I felt a small shock prick my hand. Out of surprise, I moved my hand back a bit and accidentally made contact with Cas’s hand. 

The second our hands touched, I felt some sort of vibration that drew our palms together and raise our eyes to stare at the other. I immediately felt the baby’s power course through us again. 

I… I saw Castiel’s life, his  _ entire  _ life. From the moment God brought him into existence, to the moment he sensed my baby’s coming into existence. I saw everything he ever saw, heard everything he heard, felt everything he felt…. In only a few seconds, I met the  _ real  _ Castiel: an ex- angel of the Lord who came to Earth to save the Righteous Man from the depths of Hell, fell in love, and devoted his existence to humanity. But after that… his banishment, the Leviathans, Purgatory, Lucifer…. How could he have been through so much, yet still be so kind and selfless? 

“ _ YOU STUPID BITCH! _ ” 

“ _ Kelly! _ ” Castiel was suddenly hugging me in response to Lucifer’s horrid voice. 

“Cas…” I whimpered into his trenchcoat, ignoring the tears that streamed down my face. “He… he tried to  _ kill  _ me. He  _ wanted  _ to kill me. If Sam hadn’t shown up when he did…” 

“Shh, it’s okay now,” he whispered into my ear. “He can’t hurt you, he’s locked up in Hell. And even if he wasn’t, I wouldn’t let him hurt you. Calm down, I’m here.  _ We’re  _ here.” And he took my hand and gently placed it back on my baby bump. True to my own word, feeling his tiny feet kicking against my stomach soothed my nerves. 

“He’s so precious, isn’t he?” I sighed in bliss. 

“He really is,” Castiel agreed. “I can’t believe I thought he was an abomination.” 

“You were scared, no one would blame you,” I said. “And you’ve already made up for it with saving us from Dagon  _ twice. _ ” 

He gave a small and shy smile and brushed his free hand through my hair, which was fairly knotted after a few months of negligence. However, he ran his fingers through my locks like they were the softest things he’d ever touched. And his fingers… so gentle, so strong, so  _ caring,  _ I loved the feeling  _ so  _ much. The movements of his fingers through my hair even made me feel a bit sleepy. I yawned. 

“Are you tired, Kelly?” my angel asked, 

“A little,” I responded. “But we still haven’t finished our  _ ‘date’ _ .” 

“We already know each other, thanks to him.” He gently caressed my baby bump. “You should rest, anyways. Don’t worry, I’ll watch over you. I’ve done it for Sam and Dean several times.” 

“I’m sure you have,” I replied with a small giggle. “Goodnight, Castiel.” 

I allowed myself to lay my head down onto his lap as he continued to stroke my hair. Even near his crotch, the angel smelled like rosewater and ivy, which happened to be a very soothing smell. 

“Can you sing for me?” I asked, too soothed by Castiel’s scent to care what came out of my mouth. 

“What?” he responded. 

“It helps me fall asleep,” I explained. “Keeps the nightmares away.” 

I felt his smile due to the warmth in my soul as he sighed. “I’ve been told I’m not very good. I’m sorry, Kelly. Why not try yourself? Your voice is certainly more melodious than mine.” 

I blushed at his compliment. “I… I wouldn’t say  _ melodious,  _ b-but… okay, Cas, I just hope you’ll still like me after you hear my awful attempts.” 

He continued to stroke my hair in encouragement, and I caved. I took a deep breath and focused on an old favorite… one Rooney made me stop humming whenever he was around: 

“ _ Here comes the sun, do do do doo,  _

_ Here comes the sun and I say… ‘It’s all right.’ _

_ Here comes the sun, la dee da da,  _

_ Here comes the sun and I say… ‘It’s all right.’  _ ” 

As I sang, I wasn’t aware that Castiel’s hands were slowing their strokes in my hair. I didn’t realize that his fingers had completely stopped moving until I ended the song, then noticed that his hands had completely stopped. I immediately got scared that something was wrong and sat up to look at him, and his face was completely shocked and almost dazed. 

“What’s wrong?! Is someone here?!” I looked around wildly in terror and started to back away, but that seemed to snap him out of his daze and he grabbed my hands to catch my attention. 

“No, no, it’s not that!” he told me. “It’s just… I’ve never heard such a beautiful voice sing that song. I thought I was in Heaven again, because you sounded  _ exactly  _ like an angel in Heaven.” 

“Oh.” My fear subsided and my cheeks heated up with serious intensity. I looked down to avoid him seeing me blushing so hard at his indirect compliment. “Thanks, Cas.” 

Cas must’ve heard the embarrassment in my voice because his face went pink and he backed away and started apologizing profusely. “I didn’t mean to upset you, I’m sorry… god, why do I always have to say and do the wrong thing at the worst possible time? Just ignore me, I’m an idiot. Dean was right, damn it--” 

I cut him off by taking his hand and placing it back on my baby bump. And once he felt our baby kicking and his face relaxed, I gave his hand a gentle squeeze and smiled reassuringly. 

“Don’t apologize,” I said. “It’s just that no one’s ever compared me to an angel before, certainly not an  _ actual  _ angel. I… I’m  _ flattered,  _ Cas.” 

“Oh.” His face went from pink to red in seconds. 

I laughed in a kind way and offered a small peck on his cheek. “You’re so cute, you know that…  _ sweetheart? _ ” 

He didn’t say a word. He was frozen with a burning red face. 

“Cas?” I asked. 

Nothing. 

“Castiel!” I cried, now placing my hands on his cheeks. “Are you alright?!” 

He blinked, and his eyes flashed bright blue, just like they did that night with Dagon. He seemed to regain himself and calmed down. Then, he returned the kiss on my cheek. I felt my face burn bright red at the feel of his lips against my skin. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered gently. “I’ve never felt something so  _ warm  _ and  _ gentle  _ before.” 

“No, don’t apologize,” I murmured. “Thank you for making me feel safe. You’re a good man, Castiel.” 

I laid my head back down on his lap and allowed him to thread his fingers through my hair again. The sleepiness returned to my eyes and I closed my eyes. 

“Would you like to hear a story?” my angel asked. “The story of Father Abraham’s forgotten daughter… the one who sacrificed herself for Isaac.” 

“Father Abraham from the Bible?” I asked. “Why isn’t this daughter ever mentioned?” 

“Because God wanted her to be forgotten,” he answered. “She was the first to defy Him and His word.” 

“What a brave girl,” I said as he moved his calloused fingers through my locks. “Please, tell me.” 

His fingers paused, and I worried that I might have pushed my boundaries, but then I heard him pick a flower from the ground and thread it through my hair. I smiled at his sweetness and, in a trance of love, I let one of my hands drift onto one of his. His fingers wrapped around my hand as his other hand continued to thread flowers through my hair. 

“She and Isaac were twins, much like Cain and Abel,” he told me. “However, unlike the First Sons, the children loved each other with all their little hearts. They played together, slept together, ate together…  _ everything  _ they ever did was with each other.” 

“What was her name?” I questioned. 

Castiel sighed sadly. “She never had one. God commanded Abraham to not name his daughter, and despite the fact that Abraham loved both of his children more than anything, he followed God’s words and never named his daughter. So when her parents addressed her, they called her ‘Daughter’, and her brother addressed her as ‘Sister’.” 

“Poor girl…” I gasped. 

“I know, it was unfair,” he responded. “But the worst thing He did to them was His test on Abraham, the test to see if he loved God or his children more. He told Abraham, ‘If you love me, you will kill your son. If you do, your daughter will be blessed with many children. If you don’t, I will know that you do not love me.’ Abraham loved his children, but he had devoted his life to God, and he believed his daughter deserved the life God promised, and so he reluctantly agreed. So the next day, he told his daughter to wash clothes with their mother while he and Isaac went out to hunt for a ram. But the daughter felt that something was wrong, and so she disobeyed her father and followed him and Isaac.” 

I let out a soft yawn and cuddled into his lap. “And then what happened?” 

“Abraham started to follow God’s command,” Cas responded. “The girl watched in horror as her father raised his blade over her brother’s heart. She screamed to any angel listening, ‘ _ Please! I beg of you, spare my brother! Spare Isaac! Take me instead! Kill me and let Isaac live!’  _ And the moment she spoke those words, an angel descended from Heaven to answer her prayer… an angel named Jehudiel, one of the seven princes of Heaven, who later paid dearly for his mercy. He gave the young girl an enchanted cloak that, when she wore it, transformed her into a ram.” 

My eyes shot wide open as I realized where he was going with this. “Oh,  _ no…  _ Cas, did she really…?” 

My angel nodded, sadness sparkling in his eyes and streaming down his face. “Jehudiel called to Abraham to spare his son, and then Abraham saw what he  _ thought  _ was a ram caught in the bushes. He was so relieved that his son could be spared, that he never questioned how the ram waited for him to come to her, didn’t fight as he carried her, and refused to let out a single moan when his blade pierced her heart. At least, not until he took the blade out and tore off the cloak with it.” 

“Oh, my goodness…” I sniffled, covering my mouth in horror. 

“Abraham was horrified that he had killed his own daughter, but she herself was at peace with it all,” he continued. “She lamented how much she loved her family, and how she would always watch over Isaac and his descendents. She died holding her brother’s hand, her glowing smile still bright on her face.” He took a heavy breath and laced another flower through my hair. I felt his tears dripping slowly into my hair. “I watched from Heaven as it happened. I remember seeing Abraham’s soul shatter into pieces, hearing Sarah’s wails, watching Isaac cradle his beloved sister’s body in his tiny arms…. They were children, Kelly, only _nine_ _years old!_ ” 

I clutched his hand even tighter at the sound of his voice cracking. He never made a sound, but I knew that he’d wiped his tears away from his eyes because I felt no more in my hair. I took both of his hands now and caressed them as comfortingly as I could. 

“Jehudiel sounds just like you, Castiel,” I said. “I know you would’ve done the same in his place.” 

“No, I wouldn’t,” he responded, disgust clear in his voice now. “I was too much of a coward, and I still am. If I was braver, I could’ve saved him. I could’ve  _ defended  _ him. He was standing up for what he thought was right, and God killed him for it. He killed my brother… my brother…” 

“Shh…” I whispered into his hands. “Don’t blame yourself. Be proud that you’re related to someone so brave. In fact, I’m proud to be with you, Cas.” 

“Really?” he asked. 

“Mhm,” I yawned as I  _ finally  _ started to fall asleep. “So… is… he….” 

I felt his smile as the world around us started to fade into dreams. His fingers brushed softly against my cheeks like the tail of a furry cat. His warm breath kissed my cheek as his lips grazed my temple. 

“Goodnight, Kelly.” 


	6. Chapter 6

**_Castiel_ **

  
  


The next morning, I was in the kitchen trying to cook a decent breakfast. Kelly was upstairs fast asleep, and I didn’t want to wake her, so I put napkins on everything to avoid any loud clangs of the plates, pots, or pans. I put them on the table, in between the cabinet doors, in the sink, even on the oven. 

As you can imagine,  _ that  _ didn’t work out as well as I wanted it to. 

I turned away from the oven for  _ one second  _ to pour some fragrance tea into a small pink tea cup, and I smelled smoke. Then, I heard the flicker of the flames. 

_ Oh fuck--  _ I spun around just in time to see the four strips of bacon on my pan be consumed into black charcoal by the fire from the burning napkin. “God  _ damn  _ it!” Without thinking, I emptied my cup of tea, spun the cold water of the sink on, filled the cup, and threw it onto the flames. I repeated this process five times,  _ at least _ , before I was sure that the flames were doused and the smoke was cleared. Then, I just leaned over the sink in disappointment at myself. 

“Placing a napkin over an active oven to dull the sound…” I groaned. “You  _ idiot,  _ Castiel. God, I hope I can clean this before Kelly wakes up.” 

The sound of soft giggles behind me replied to my self-beratings. “You may not be an  _ expert  _ at cooking, but it’s hard to remember the last time someone made me breakfast.” Before I could turn around to face her, Kelly had wrapped her arms around my torso from behind me. 

“I’m sorry I woke you,” I said. 

“You didn’t, I had morning sickness,” she responded. “I smelled the burning meat and wanted to help… even though I don’t eat meat.” 

I felt like smashing my head against the burning oven.  _ She’s a vegetarian! How stupid could I be to cook bacon for a dying pregnant woman? You absolute MORON, Castiel!  _

“I’m so sorry, Kelly,” I groaned. “I should have known. I’ll just scrape this off and make some pancakes… strawberry, right? I already have the ingredients out, I’ll--” 

“ _ Castiel,”  _ she sighed. “Go in the living room and drink some tea. I’m going to open a window and place the dirty dishes in the sink. Then, we’ll talk about plans for the day.” 

She gave me a kiss on the cheek that silenced any objections. Satisfied by how quickly my face turned red, she smiled and walked back into the living room. As she walked away, I heard her mumble over her breath, “Red as a rose, and just as cute.” 

I was dumbfounded. But then I noticed how she was wearing a dress with a flower pattern and I couldn’t help but smirk.  _ Red as a rose, hm? That’s rich coming from someone as shiny as a sunflower. Sunflower… a bright, pretty, happy, faithful being of light….  _

I took a look towards the window, observing carefully as the sun rose over the seemingly calm and motionless lake, gleamed it’s gorgeous rays of light onto the abandoned flowerbeds, and even casted a small rainbow as one of the rays shot through the glass. The flowers outside looked like the kind painted on cookies and cupcakes, and the rays brought a sweet smell into my nostrils. 

I got an idea. Smiling, I turned the faucet off and redirected my attention to a cabinet over the oven. Opening the door revealed mixing bowls, muffin tins, pie and cake pans, a rolling pin, measuring spoons, etc. 

\------------------------------------

“ _ Castiel? Are you alright? Do you need help cleaning up? _ ” 

“No, Kelly, I’m fine!” I called back, taking the muffin tin out of the oven. “Stay in the living room, I have a surprise for you.” 

I heard Kelly’s soft chuckle. “How can you be so sweet, especially to Lucifer’s baby mother?” 

I walked out of the kitchen and into the living room with the trea balanced in my hands. “It  _ may  _ have something to do with the fact that ‘ _ Lucifer’s baby mother’  _ is a sweet and loving sunflower.” 

Kelly was sitting at the coffee table with a sketchbook and a painted pink pencil. She looked up to smile at me, but the second she saw that I’d traded my overcoat for a powder blue apron with pink text that read  _ King of the Kitchen _ , which was splattered with a few poorly aimed throws of flour, her face turned pink and she started laughing. 

“ _ Cas!  _ You sweet fallen angel! What  _ happened  _ to you?” she squeaked through fits of giggles. 

“I made muffins,” I responded. “They’re a nutritious breakfast food with plenty of fiber for a sunflower housing the Antichrist.” 

“ _ Sunflower? _ ” Kelly repeated. “I didn’t know you liked gardening.” 

“I don’t,” I answered with a chuckle. “When I was insane, I liked to watch bees, but I never gardened. I was actually referencing your dress…” She looked over her ballet pink dress and the flower heads adorned all over it, but she couldn’t hide her beautiful smile. “...and not to mention the fact you have the personality of  _ everything  _ a sunflower symbolizes: faithfulness, beauty, positivity, and a soul as warm and bright as the sun itself. You  _ are  _ a sunflower, Kelly Kline.” 

I set down the tray on the coffee table and started to take some napkins out of the apron’s pocket, but Kelly’s soft fingers grazed my cheeks and her lips planted a quick and sweet kiss on my nose. That effectively froze me in my own body in shocked embarrassment. 

“Thank you, Castiel,” she whispered, her sweet voice sending shivers down my spine. “Let’s eat together, and I’ll show you my drawings.” 

“Oh, that’s okay,” I responded. “I don’t eat--” I was cut off by her taking one of the muffins and gently placed it in my mouth while I was talking. I coughed and almost choked on my own food, but then the taste of banana and a bit of cinnamon seemed to almost  _ explode  _ inside my mouth and I lost my train of thought. 

“Cas? Are you okay?” Kelly asked. “I just wanted to convince you to eat with me, I’m sorry--” 

“No, Kelly, I can’t  _ believe  _ it,” I gasped. “I… I haven’t tasted anything in… well, over a  _ year _ ! When I was human, I could taste, but after I got my grace back I couldn’t taste anything but molecules. But now… heh… Kelly, I can taste it. I can taste things again… how did you…? Actually, it doesn’t matter. Here,  _ you  _ taste it. I’m not a very good judge on what does or doesn’t taste good.” 

And just like she did with me, I took a muffin and set it into her mouth. She sort of giggled at my actions, but didn’t stop me and instead chewed on my creation, careful to avoid my fingers. 

“Oh,  _ wow _ , Cas!” she gasped, her eyes widening in shocked delight. “That tastes  _ amazing.  _ Where’d you learn to bake like that?” 

“Auntie Cakely’s Baking Recipes,” I answered as we sat down together. “I found her book in the baking cabinet while I was looking for food dyes.” And to prove it, I held up my hand to show her the mess of coloring across my palm. 

She laughed, a sound that would put the laughter of angels to shame. “Why do you have food dye all over your hands?” 

I picked up another muffin to show her the messily painted flower across the surface. “I did say that you were my Sunflower, didn’t I?” 

Kelly tried to groan, but her smile was still too bright to hide. She opened her sketchbook and spread it over both of our laps for both of us to admire. “Maybe I’ll start sketching flowers if you’re so amazed by them.” 

I gasped and carefully brushed my hand against the drawing… which displayed the sun setting over the lake from yesterday. It was  _ beautiful _ , even without the color. I could almost smell the lakewater. I could even feel the glow from the dying sun streaking across my face once more. 

“Kelly, this is…” I whispered, as if afraid of disturbing the beauty of the drawing. “ _ How  _ did you draw this so perfectly? It’s  _ amazing _ .” 

Kelly blushed shyly. “I dreamt about it last night. I couldn’t stop thinking about this… about  _ us _ .” 

I gently brushed my hand through her beautiful silky hair. “Everything’s going to be alright, Kelly. I’ll protect you both, and I’ll look for a way to save you.” 

“Oh, Castiel…” she whispered, gently nuzzling her head against my neck. “You’re so kind… how could I be so lucky to have an angel watching over me and my baby?” 

I felt my heart race as our hands met and our fingers intertwined. I had never felt this before, it was all so new to me. Part of me was scared of this feeling, but feeling Kelly’s soft breath brush against my skin somehow soothed me. I felt as though as long as she was near me, everything would be alright. 

_ Maybe it will be,  _ I thought as I brushed my free fingers through her beautiful hair.  _ Maybe I won’t have to be afraid anymore. Maybe… maybe I can finally be happy _ . 


	7. Chapter 7

_ Kelly  _

  
  


Cas was so sweet and kind to me, it was almost impossible to believe that he was an angel who worked with the ruthless Winchesters. It started with making breakfast, but then he insisted on cleaning the house, washing the dishes, doing the laundry, and going to the nearest store for a list of items I wanted, despite my objections. 

That’s why I decided he deserved a “reward” after everything he’d done for me. 

\-------------------------------------

It was close to nine in the evening when Cas finally walked through the door, one hand carrying a white plastic bag and the other holding the key to the house. He looked up, immediately noticing the lack of light, and dropped the bag and key to search for the lightswitch. He looked so frantic, worried, I wanted to come out from hiding and tell him everything was okay. 

“Kelly! Are you alright? Where are you? I’m here, I-” He found the lightswitch and clicked the lights to life, revealing the old dark wood record player I’d found, sitting on the coffee table next to a few dusted records. Then his eyes drifted to the wall shelves and saw the lotus flower and rose scented candles flickering cheerfully between two vases of the fake lilies and lilacs I had discovered in the attic. 

Cas seemed to understand that everything was alright and let out a sigh of relief. In response, I walked out from behind the kitchen’s door frame and walked towards him with a sweet smile. 

“Sorry for the scare,” I said. “I wanted to surprise you.” 

He smiled back at me and gently cupped my cheek with his right hand. “If certain humans became angels after death, you would be one of them. Did you do all this for me?” 

“Of course,” I responded. “I’m offended you even asked that.” 

“Oh, I’m so-” 

“ _ Cas,  _ it’s okay.” I took his hands and gave a small giggle at his nativity. “You’ve done so much, and I haven’t done anything… so I was hoping to repay some of your kindness with a dance.” 

Cas blushed very visibly and looked away shyly. “I would love that, but I’ve never danced before. I wouldn’t want to mess up and possibly hurt you.” 

He started to draw away from me, but I held onto his hands and tried pulling him back. 

“Let me teach you, then,” I whispered. “Hold my hand and put your other hand on my waist. I’m going to put mine on your shoulder, okay?” 

He smiled and obeyed, gently taking my left hand and hovering his other over my waist. Then, I dropped my hand on his shoulder. 

“Now just follow my lead.” From behind us, the record player started playing a slow and easy song. Carefully, I took a side step to the right, clicking my heels together, with Castiel slowly copying my actions as he watched my feet move. Side step to the left, and now the heels of his dress shoes clicked in sync with mine. 

_ “ _ _ When the evening shadows and the stars appear, _

_ And there is no one there to dry your tears, _

_ I could hold you for a million years... _

_ To make you feel my love.”  _

“Can you tell me another story tonight?” I asked. “I loved the sound of your voice when you told me about Abraham’s daughter.” 

“Of course,” he responded. “You know… you’re the first person who has ever liked that story. So few have heard it: the Winchesters, Claire Novak, you,  _ him _ …” He carefully brushed his hand over my protruding belly. 

“Who is Claire Novak?” I questioned. “Old girlfriend?” 

Cas gave me a sad smile. “She’s my vessel’s daughter… his name was Jimmy.” 

“Jimmy Novak…” I repeated, testing it on my tongue. “I like Castiel better.” 

“His actual name was James,” he explained. “Though, I never understood why he called himself Jimmy ‘ _ for short _ ’.” 

I giggled. “I know, me neither. I never understood why some people have such strange and nonsensical nicknames, like Margaret and Peggy, or…” 

“Richard and Bob?” 

“ _ Exactly! _ ” 

We both laughed now, and Cas gently moved his hand from my waist to cup my cheek again. I smiled into his deep blue eyes that reminded me of the petals of a moonlight rose. They were the kind of blue that almost made me want to trust the ocean again. 

_ “I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue, _

_ I'd go crawling down the avenue, _

_ No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do... _

_ To make you feel my love.” _

I rested my head against his chest, my ear over where his heart was. In response, he buried his fingers in my hair and twirled each strand like they were the softest things he’d ever touch. 

“I don’t hear a heartbeat,” I murmured sadly. 

“No, you wouldn’t,” Cas whispered. “This body is only alive because my entity is possessing it. I have no pulse, no running blood, no heartbeat. However, I  _ can _ …” He lifted his fingers from my hair and gently brushed them against my temple. The sound of tiny heartbeats started pumping in my eardrums. I didn’t have to ask Castiel whose heartbeats they were. 

_ “The storms are raging on the rolling sea, _

_ And on the highway of regret. _

_ Though winds of change are throwing wild and free, _

_ You ain't seen nothing like me yet.”  _

“I can’t wait,” I sniffled. “I just wish I could meet him.” 

Cas shushed me and pressed his lips against my head. “You will, Sunflower, you will. I’ll make sure of it.” 

_ “I could make you happy make your dreams come true…”  _

_ “Nothing that I wouldn't do… _ ” Cas’s gravelly voice sung with the record player. “ _ Go to the ends of the Earth for you…”  _

_ “To make you feel my love,”  _ I hummed. “ _ To make you… feel my… love _ .” 

The music stopped. The candles flickered and died, leaving behind whisps of smoke that danced around the room to the musical and beloved silence. 


	8. Chapter 8

_ Castiel  _

A few weeks after our first dance, Kelly and I were dancing almost every night. I’d even learned a few dances by myself to impress her: the Waltz, Rumba, Salsa, Tango, and Swing, though our favorite was undeniably the Waltz. So intimate and passionate. And the more dances we learned, the closer we grew. And soon, I felt as comfortable with Kelly as I did with Dean… perhaps even  _ more  _ comfortable, because she didn’t mock me or hate me when I did things to protect her. Sure, she was often irritated and would snap at me, but she never once told me that she hated me. She never kicked me out of a room or even the safehouse. She never made me feel guilty or stupid. 

She restored my faith and trust in people. 

So when we went out for a shopping trip together and I saw that there was a “Thanksgiving sale: (Buy five jars of cranberries and get a turkey 75% off)”, I didn’t feel like an idiot when I asked her what the significance of turkeys for Thanksgiving was. She didn’t even make fun of me for asking; just gave a kind giggle that held no malice whatsoever. 

“Colonists used to hunt wild turkeys in the 1600s,” she explained. “And after President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, Americans decided to make turkeys the meal of choice for the celebration.” 

“Oh.” I thought about how interesting that fact explanation was and smiled. “That’s really intriguing, Kelly.” 

Kelly blushed. “Thanks, Cas. I was a history fanatic back in school, and after I started my political major in college, it sort of stuck. I just think it’s  _ fascinating  _ what happened in the past, and how it affects us today.” 

“I agree,” I responded as I took a quart of creamer out of a freezer. “I mean, I never studied humanity in Heaven, but after my first visit to Earth I became fascinated with it. And after I became human, I appreciated humanity and life even more. I realized how hard life was and how precious every second is.” 

My beloved smiled softly and lovingly and gently took my hand. “I wish we had met when you were human. I could’ve helped you.” 

I caressed her soft and delicate hand. “The angels who were after me would have killed you, or worse. Besides, I did fine on my own. I mean, after Dean kicked me out of the bunker I applied for a job at a gas station and soon became the manager. Then I got my grace back and had to go back to hunting… and to this day, I miss that store. Luckily, one of my coworkers. Delilah, took over.” 

“You’re too sweet, Castiel,” she told me. “Come on, let’s go to the checkout.” 

We walked out of the freezer section and towards the self-checkout zones, still hand-in-hand. Kelly set the shopping bag down and frowned as I scanned the few items we’d gotten. 

“I still don’t like your idea of using credit card scams to pay for things,” she murmured. 

“I never liked it, either,” I said as I finished scanning a loaf of bread. “However, it’s the only way to pay other than stealing, and stealing makes me uncomfortable.” 

“Fair enough.” Kelly paused to think. “What about selling?” 

I looked up from the computer, interested. 

“You could sell your pastries,” she continued. “You’re really good at baking, so maybe you could sell the things you make to bakeries or fairs.” 

“I’m not that good, Sunflower,” I sighed. “No one would want to buy homemade mini cherry pies, cinnamon banana muffins, raspberry mousse cream puffs, or apple strudels from someone who needs to taste test to determine the difference between sugar and salt.” 

“ _ I  _ would,” she huffed. 

“That’s because you’re sweet and loving,” I said, taking both of her hands. “Nothing compares to your kindness, Sunflower.” 

She rolled her eyes playfully with a small blush. “Shut up.” 

I smiled and kissed her hands, which made her blush even more. 

“ _ Excuse moi, did you say you were good at baking? _ ” 

Kelly flinched at the sound of a new voice, as she always did, and hid behind me as I turned to face the woman: a short, kindly-faced, delicate-looking woman with short blond hair and big blue eyes. She wore a pink cardigan, a white skirt adorned with cookie patterns, pink pumps, and a fuzzy pink scarf that she wrapped around her hands. 

“Yes, ma’am,” I answered. “I’m sorry if we bothered you, but we’re almost finished here, you can-” 

“Oh, no, no, no,” the woman interrupted, shaking her hands profusely to stop me. “You misunderstand, sir. I am Charlotte D’Aulourx, owner of  _ Le Jardin Secret  _ in Versailles, France. I was hoping to expand my business to the Americas, and have begun to open a… how do you say it in English?... a…  _ Secret Garden _ restaurant in this little town.” 

“I see,” I said. I looked at Kelly, who was looking a bit more confused. “ _ Le Jardin Secret  _ is French for the Secret Garden. Miss D’Aulourx must be a restaurant owner, and has come here to spread her business.” 

“ _ Oui _ ,” the woman responded. “I am at a loss for employees, however. If you could work for me, I can pay you and you will have money to bring food to your wife and baby.” She eyed Kelly’s protruding baby bump with a sweet smile. 

“Oh, no, we’re not married,” Kelly told her. “But he’s my boyfriend. He really is a talented baker.” 

_ Boyfriend?! _ I thought panickedly in my mind.  _ That’s so official, what do I say? Do I kiss her? Do I hug her? Do I pick her up and carry her back home? Shit, what did Dean do with his girlfriends…?  _

Miss D’Aulourx placed two hands over her heart. “ _ Awww!  _ That is so sweet! I would be ever so grateful if I could have you in my bakery.” 

Knowing she was addressing me, I cleared my throat to sound calm. “Of course I will work for you, Miss D’Aulourx. Where is your restaurant? I’ll go there tomorrow.” 

She smiled even wider and pulled out a red card from her pocket to hand to me. “76 Euclid, the Secret Garden. This is my number, and I expect a call at 11:00 AM. May I have your name and number?” 

“We have a house phone we’ll call you from,” Kelly quickly explained. “I’m… Callie. Callie…” 

“Jones” I finished. “Callie and Clarence Jones.” 

“ _ Magnifique _ ,” Miss D’Aulourx said. “I will see you tomorrow, then. Take care, Monsieur and Madame Jones.” 

“Bye.” Kelly gave a kind wave towards the short woman as she walked away. Once the lady was out of earshot, she turned to me with a smirk. “I told you that you could sell them.” 

“Did you mean it?” I asked. 

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “Mean what?” 

“What you said before,” I answered. “About me… about  _ us _ .” 

Kelly’s face went bright pink and she wrung her hands nervously. “W-Well… I mean… yeah, of course I did… I thought we were… you know…  _ something.  _ Or… were all those nights together just… nights? Just distractions from my inevitable death? You don’t… you  _ can’t _ …. Angels  _ can’t  _ love, right? I like you, but you can’t-” 

“Sunflower…” I took her hand again and lifted her head up to look me in my wet eyes. “I didn’t know what love was as an angel, but… I learned. Even when I had my heart broken, you found me and picked up the pieces. I was scared to love, but you… Kelly, you’re  _ everything  _ to me.” 

Her eyes sparkled and her mouth lifted into a smile. “Really?” 

“Why do you think I couldn’t kill you in Dagon’s basement?” I gently smoothed my fingers through her silky black hair with a copy of her smile on my face. “I was in love with Dean, but he could never love me. After that, I was afraid to love again… until I saw your soul, your will, your kindness, your bravery… at first, I thought it was simply your baby trying to manipulate me, but seeing you in the basement, just you, so innocent and vulnerable, just broke me. And then you said my name, ‘ _ Castiel? _ ’ and you weren’t scared. You knew why I was there, what I wanted to do, but you didn’t hate me. You forgave me… something almost impossible for everyone who knows me. You’re so kind and caring, and no matter how loyal I am to the Winchesters, how much I fear Lucifer, how badly I want to go back home to Heaven and be with my brothers and sisters… I could never hurt you, Kelly. I guess… heh,  I  _ found my thrill on Blueberry Hill, on Blueberry Hill when I found you. The moon stood still on Blueberry Hill and lingered until my dreams came true. And the wind in the willow played love's sweet melody. _ ” 

Kelly blushed and gave a soft chuckle. “You’re a real Louis Armstrong, aren’t you?” 

“I guess you brought out the me I was scared to be,” I whispered. “Why don’t we go home, and we’ll watch a movie together?” 

“I would love that,” she sighed. “Anything with you, Castiel.” 

\--------------------------------

“Okay, Cas…” Kelly tried to sound bored, but I could hear the amusement in her voice. “When I said  _ anything,  _ I wasn’t expecting this.” 

“Why not?” I questioned, taking a step back so the video camera capture all of her. “I found it while you were sleeping this morning, and thought you’d might like to try it.” 

“Because I never expected an angel of the Lord to be so  _ passionate _ !” she giggled. “This is so  _ kind  _ and  _ generous.  _ Jack’s lucky to have  _ you  _ as his surrogate father.” 

“Thank you, Sunflower,” I murmured, ignoring the heat in my cheeks. “But he’ll be even luckier when he meets you as his mother. Jack, if you’re watching this, please go tell your mom that you love her.” 

Kelly laughed again. “Jack, please hug Cas for being so determined. I swear, you’re going to be as sweet as him. Cas, turn the camera around so he can see you.” 

“Wait, Kelly-” She took the camera from me and turned it to see me. 

“This is your dad, Jack,” she told the camera. “He’s a real angel. He saved me from a really bad place and brought us to this house to keep us safe. Say hi, Cas!” 

I chuckled and decided to humor her. “Hi, Jack, I’m your surrogate dad. I promise to protect and care for you and your mother no matter what.” I sighed, my smile fading a bit. “I can understand if you don’t accept me as your father. I understand if you want to be close to Lucifer, but… you have to understand that I’m still going to protect and love you.” 

Kelly smiled and turned the camera back on herself. “We love you, Jack. Please remember that. No matter what you are or what you do, Castiel and I will always love you.  _ Always _ .” She gave a small sniffle, but kept her smile. To comfort her, I walked over and rubbed my hands over her shoulders. She smiled at me and looked back at the camera. “We’ll keep making these videos for you, baby. That way, you’ll always have a piece of us if anything were to happen. We love you  _ so  _ much, Jack Castiel Kline.” 

“Jack Castiel Kline?” I repeated with a blush. 

She nodded. “Named after his grandpa and his father.” 

My face went red hot and Kelly started laughing. In retaliation, I took the camera away and held it up over my head to keep her from stealing it back. She did try, but we both knew she had no chance, and eventually she gave up with a playful disapproving glare. I lowered the camera back down to my face for one final sentence: 

“Goodnight, Jack Castiel Kline.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys! Sorry if I'm diving into the romantic stuff a bit early, but I just love Castiel and Kelly together. Hope you enjoyed and feel free to comment your thoughts and opinions. Any feedback is appreciated. For now, happy January fellow Klines and Kelstiel shippers!


	9. Chapter 9

_ Kelly  _

  
  


“Cas! Honey, wake up!” 

The angel laying on the couch didn’t respond. I tried shaking his shoulders, but all I got was a small groan that sounded like, “ _ Go away, Dean, I’m not coming back.”  _

Aw. He was dreaming about arguing with Dean to stay with us. 

I sat down next to him and took his hand. “You don’t have to leave if you don’t want to, Cas, it’s your choice. But if you do go, we’ll find someone else… maybe that nice man from the grocery store… Hunter?” 

That got Cas’s attention: his eyes flew open and he sprung up and growled, “Over my dead body that creep takes you.” He looked around wildly and glared at me, obviously not thrilled by my approach of waking him. 

“I’m sorry, honey,” I giggled. “You were dreaming about Dean calling you again.” 

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “He’s been praying to me every night, begging me to come back. I’ve  _ always  _ answered his prayers, and I  _ want  _ to come back to him… but you need me. And on top of that, you actually love me. Dean probably hates me.” 

“Even if he does, you don’t need him,” I said, resting my head on his shoulder. “You have me… you have  _ us. _ ” To emphasize my point, I laid his hand over my stomach. The baby immediately started kicking against Cas’s hand. 

He smiled and gently caressed my bump. “You’re right, Sunflower, I do have you two. And tonight, I’m going to show you just how much I care.” 

“What do you mean?” I asked as he took my hand and guided me off the couch. “Where are we going?” 

“To town,” he answered, taking me up the stairs and into my room. “Madam D’Aulourx just gave me a bonus because so many people have come into the Secret Garden,  _ including  _ a food critic who gave us four out of five stars!” 

“ _ Seriously? _ ” I was stunned. Cas had been working at the Secret Garden for almost three weeks, and though I knew that his skills brought in good revenue for the bakery I didn’t expect the business to rise so high so fast. 

He nodded with a proud smile. “She even offered me time off with pay, but I said no. Instead, I asked for something else… something better.” 

“Really? Like what?” I inquired, intrigued. 

His proud smile seemed to grow as he handed me my blue jacket. “You’ll see.” 

\----------------------------------------------

“Can I take this off now?” I demanded irritably. “I hate being blindfolded.” 

“We’re almost there,” Cas replied. 

I folded my arms and frowned as I felt the car stop. “I don’t like blindfolds, you know that. They make me feel restricted.” 

“I read that it’s customary to wear a blindfold when being surprised,” he told me. “And  _ this  _ is certainly a great surprise. We’re here.” He parked the car and got out before opening my door to prove it. 

He pulled me out of the truck and guided me. I could tell that we must’ve been downtown because I could hear the traffic and people talking about their lives all around us. I could even hear the distant sound of a church bell tolling and smell the engine exhaust from all the cars around us. Being able to hear and smell it all, yet not see it all, made me feel extremely nervous, but I knew that I was safe with Cas. I knew he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize my life or the life of our child. 

Eventually, he stopped guiding me and pulled off the blindfold. “Okay… what do you think?” 

Once my eyes adjusted to the sudden light, I gasped. In front of me was what looked like a two- story patry restaurant that had been painted a crepe pink with an overhang painted with candy red roses. Over the overhang, painted in lace white cursive, were the words  _ Our Secret Garden _ . 

“ _ Our… _ ” I whispered. 

Cas nodded. “I suggested to put a more romantic or family- oriented view on this place, even if I don’t know much about it. Madam D’Aulourx loved the idea so much that she gave me the option to bring you here one day to eat for free, and since I want to make this Thanksgiving as memorable and special as possible…” 

“Oh,  _ Cas _ .” I cut him off with a warm embrace and a few happy tears. “You did all this for  _ me?  _ I can’t believe you would do something like this. You’re so wonderful, Cas, thank you.” 

Cas didn’t say anything, but I could feel the heat from his face, as my head rested below his chin, and I knew that if he had a heartbeat, it would be skyrocketing. When I pulled away, his face was a bright pink that made me chuckle. 

“Let’s go inside,” I suggested. “I can’t wait to hear about everything you’ve been doing here.” 

His mouth opened, but he seemed incapable of speech so he just nodded and took my hand to pull me through the doors and into our Secret Garden. 

The walls were either pink or pineapple yellow with a cocoanut white ceiling, depending on where you looked, the floor was a carpeted pine green, the lights were dangling bulbs with protective, flowery, glassy casing that reflected rays of different colors, there were long flat rosewood tables with maybe five or six cushioned chairs on the long sides and one at each of the other two, and there were small and circular booths along the walls and in the corners that were quite literally “housed” with tall chiffon white walls that formed a small house-like roof over each booth. There was even a mix of sugar, baked pastries, and daisies in the air. 

“Cas, this is  _ amazing! _ ” I gasped. “You helped Madam D’Aulourx do all this?” 

My sudden question seemed to push him out of his speechlessness. He shook his head quickly at himself and cleared his throat to ensure he could talk again. 

“Yes, this is the Secret Garden,” he told me. “And she already had the building, I just suggested paint and motifs. Also, Rosemary suggested the small houses.” 

“Who’s Rosemary?” I asked. 

“Here! Here, I’m here!” a young teenage boy, probably around fifteen, with jet black hair and big green eyes ran out carrying a couple menus. He was wearing a juniper green apron over a pair of jeans, a grey T-shirt, and currant red Crocs. He was very thin and pale, like a ghost that had died of starvation. 

Cas smiled at the young man and pat his shoulder. “It’s okay, Rosemary, it’s just me and my girlfriend, Callie. Callie, this is my assistant Flint Rosemary. He’s a fine young man who came for experience in cake decorating.” 

I smiled and offered my hand to the young boy. “Hi, how are you?” 

Rosemary accepted my hand, though his was very shaky and sweaty. “I’m fine, Ms. Johnson. I’ve been working overtime, so I apologize if I’m a little… er…  _ off _ .” 

“It’s no trouble,” I told him. “I didn’t know Cas had an assistant.” 

“I didn’t want to bore you with my work life,” Cas explained. 

I tried to roll my eyes, but he could see through that and gently caressed my free hand with his thumb. 

“ _ Ah,  _ Ms. Johnson!” Madam D’Aulourx called, walking over with a big smile. “It is so wonderful to see you again! Tell me, how is your baby?” 

“Oh, he’s fine,” I assured her. “Cas checks every morning and night to make sure, measuring heartbeats and whatnot.” 

“You are having a  _ home  _ birth?” she asked. 

“Kind of have to,” I murmured. 

Madam D’Aulourx thought for a moment, then turned to Cas. “Mr. Johnson, I have a call to make. Please sit with your girlfriend, and Rosemary will bring out the cookies you made earlier.” 

“Of course,” Cas replied. “Thank you again, Renee.” 

Madam D’Aulourx smiled and walked away. Then, Cas guided me over to one of the “house booths” and we sat down, facing each other. 

“Did you really do all this for me?” I questioned. “You’re so sweet. It makes me feel bad for not trusting you when we first met.” 

“Well, I couldn’t blame you,” he responded. “Crowley kidnapped you and Sam and Dean had guns. Not to mention the fact that Rowena had her work already set up and I had told you that your child was an abomination. I would be surprised if you trusted me the second you saw me.” 

I smiled and sighed. “Who’d have thought that after the Devil got me pregnant, it would be a rebel angel I fell in love with?” 

Cas let out a huff that was supposed to be a genuine laugh. “Who’d have thought, after rebelling against Heaven and being possessed by the Devil, that I’d fall in love with the mother of his child? Who’d have thought I would shoulder the responsibility of becoming that child’s father and looking for a way to save his mother?” 

I started giggling now. Rosemary came out of the kitchens with a platter full of sugar and gingerbread cookies (I could tell by the smell). 

“Can I get you two something to drink?” he asked. 

“No, I’m okay,” I said. 

“We’re good, Rosemary, thank you,” Cas told the young boy. “In fact, why don’t you take a few cookies and enjoy your break?” 

Rosemary sighed in relief and accepted three cookies from the platter. “ _ Thank you,  _ Mr. Johnson. Holler if you need me.” And with that, he hurried back to the kitchen with the air of someone who was returning to sleep for the first time in weeks. 

I giggled. “He seems sweet.” 

“Oh, he is,” Cas assured me. “He loves working, and I’ve been showing him how to make certain recipes.” 

“That’s sweet of you.” I picked up a heart-shaped gingerbread cookie and took a small bite. “ _ So good _ … you should be the co owner of the Garden.” 

Cas’s cheeks turned pink and he looked down, embarrassed. “Thank you, but I’m ok with just being the head baker. It gives me more time to take care of you and him. But enough about me, I want to talk about you.” 

I blinked. “Me?” 

He nodded. “What was your life like before Lucifer possessed Rooney? What did you do for fun? What is your family like?” 

“Oh! Um…” I murmured. “Well, my parents live in Mississippi and work in community homes. My little brother, Marcus, lives in Vermont and works as a real estate investor. He has a sweet boyfriend, Simon, he lives with and together they have three terriers: Stella, Bella, and Della. They’re cute, but I’ve always wanted an animal I could hold in my arms and cuddle with, like a rabbit or a cat.” 

Cas nodded in agreement. “Before the Darkness, I found a kitten with tiny legs in a box on the streets, so I tried to hide her in my room in the bunker. I think Sam knew, but I was never sure. In any case, he didn’t tell Dean. I named the kitten Munchkin because she was so tiny, and I managed to keep her for a few weeks, but Dean eventually found her hiding under my bed and made me get rid of her.” 

“Oh, Cas…” I gasped, covering my mouth. “I’m so sorry. Where did you leave her?” 

“A nearby diner,” he replied. “I saw a couple pick her off the ground and take her home. I was happy that she was okay, but I really miss her.” 

His eyes dropped to his knees and he tried to hide his expression, but I could see that the memory hurt him. I felt a pang of sympathy and reached over to lay my hand on his. He looked back up at me. 

“What if we got a cat for the baby?” I offered. “A little friend that can comfort him when he can’t sleep. Maybe a Maine Coon we can name Rocky, or a Kurilian bobtail called Fluffball. We could even get two!” 

Cas chuckled with a big smile. With that reaction, I knew we were adopting more than one cat before the baby was born. I copied Cas’s smile, excited that I could make him smile like that even through a bad memory. 

He looked back up, his smile widening. “You really are a sunflower, aren’t you?” 

I blushed and looked away, but I knew Cas was still smiling at me. At that moment, Rosemary arrived at our booth holding two glasses with some pink drink in them. 

He sat them down in front of us. “I know you said you didn’t want anything to drink, but I brought some pink lemonade just in case.” 

“Thank you, Rosemary,” I said, accepting and raising a glass. “Happy Thanksgiving, Cas.” 

Cas raised the other glass and clanked it against mine. “Happy Thanksgiving, Sunflower.” 

We shared a small laugh and took a sip of our drinks, the sour yet sweet taste washing over our parched tongues like a wave upon the sand. 

\-------------------------------------------

We spent hours talking in the Garden, talking about our lives before Lucifer. I told Cas about my childhood and about my dreams of being the first female president. He told me of his days as a general in Heaven’s army and of how he gave it all up for the man he’d fallen in love with. The more we talked, the closer I felt to him and the more of his true, hidden self he showed me: a former soldier turned hunter in training who loved to bake, watch bees, and write in his journal. 

Modest, sincere, and loyal… the one in a million combination every girl dreams about. 

Eventually, the sun set and Madam D’Aulourx told us that the restaurant had to close for the night. Cas offered to help clean up, but she assured him that all she had to do was lock up and urged him to go, so we did. Cas drove us home, this time without that stupid blindfold, and I got ready for bed: changing into a pair of coral pink pajamas covered in tiny white dots, brushing my teeth, and tucking myself into bed. Cas was waiting for me in our room, undoing his navy blue tie while tucking his suit jacket and trenchcoat in our shared wardrobe. I giggled upon seeing his failed attempt at multitasking and walked over. 

“Here, let me,” I said. He didn’t have a chance to protest as I took his tie and untied the knots. Cas just watched me, his blush growing redder and redder due to our close proximity. I ignored the heat radiating off his face and the pounding of my heart as I slid the tie off his neck and laid it over his overcoat in the wardrobe. I avoided Cas’s eyes in hopes that it would help me forget how cute he looked when he was blushing. It didn’t. 

Cas cleared his throat. “Well, um… thank you, Kelly. I… I’ll go… have a good night.” 

He started to walk away and I panicked. “Cas, wait!” 

He stopped, turning back with a look of confusion. 

I raised my eyes to look him in the eye. “I… I was actually hoping…. Would you stay with me? I get a lot of nightmares, and… well, you make me feel safe.” 

Internally, I cringed at my own request.  _ Don’t be ridiculous, Kelly! He doesn’t want to spend the night with you to calm you down whenever you have a panic attack. He has better things to do. Don’t bother him with your dumb night terrors.  _ I was so busy criticizing myself, in fact, that I didn’t notice that Cas had walked back into the room until he pressed his calloused hands against my cheeks. I blinked and looked up, shocked at his loving gesture and warm smile. 

“Of course I will,” he assured me. “When I slept as a human, I had nightmares, too. I wished I had someone to comfort me then, so how about this? We’ll keep each other safe from our nightmares.” 

I didn’t know what to say, but he kept smiling and guided me into the bed, tucking me in before climbing in himself and hugging me close. I, in turn, laid my head on his chest and snuggled up to his familiar warmth and the sweet scent of rosewater and ivy, seemingly his natural scent. He ran his fingers through my hair, as he usually did, and traced sweet and comforting lines across my cheeks and neck. 

“Can you sing again?” Cas whispered. 

“Hm?” I asked. 

“Can you sing?” he repeated. “I liked hearing your singing, it was very melodious.” 

I smiled and nuzzled against his chest. “Sure, if you say so.” I closed my eyes and thought for a moment before opening my mouth and allowing the sweet sound of music to flow through me once again: 

“ _ Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling. Do you feel my heart beating? _

_ Do you understand? Do you feel the same? _

_ Am I only dreaming? Is this burning an eternal flame? _

_ I believe it's meant to be, darling. I watch you when you are sleeping _

_ You belong with me. Do you feel the same? _

_ Am I only dreaming, or is this burning an eternal flame? _

_ Say my name… sun shines through the rain _

_ A whole life so lonely, and then come and ease the pain _

_ I don't want to lose this feeling, oh… _ ” 

I stopped and looked up at Cas, who was peacefully asleep with a calm smile on his face. I smiled back, even though he couldn’t see me, and closed my eyes again to allow the sounds of the wind and the feeling of warmth and safety to ease me into a peaceful slumber. 

I didn’t have any nightmares that night. 


	10. Chapter 10

_ Castiel  _

  
  


“Did you know that Jesus was not actually born on December 25th?” I asked, wrapping the red and green garland around “Joey” (why some people name their Christmas trees, I will never understand). 

Kelly, who was fitting a pair of pink mittens on two of the branches, nodded. “Yeah, I’m actually one of the few people who don’t believe that Jesus’s birthday is actually Christmas day. It was first celebrated as a Roman holiday, after all, and only expanded after Germany celebrated it. But out of curiosity, when  _ was  _ he actually born?” 

“I don’t exactly remember,” I responded. “I know it was during the winter solstice, and I  _ think  _ it was December 21st, but angels were forbidden from mentioning it after Jesus and God fought. I personally love the idea of Christmas and have tried to celebrate it with Sam and Dean, but they were raised and trained as Hunters, and so holidays were never their highest priority.” 

“I love Christmas,” Kelly sighed, stepping back to admire her work. “I remember waking up as a kid and going downstairs to see if Santa had eaten the chocolate chip cookies I made him. Then, I’d take two presents from under the tree and surprise my parents with the gifts I’d made them. My parents always laughed and hugged me before we went into the living room to see the presents my brother and I had gotten.” 

I took a step back and smiled at my wonderful girlfriend. Due to the cold air and her growing pregnancy, there was a warm flush on her cheeks. She seemed to glow even more than usual in the snowy environment, or was it just the fact that I was taking the time to appreciate her beauty more than usual? 

She soon caught onto my staring and blushed in embarrassment. “Don’t stare at me, Cas, it makes me feel weird.” 

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it.” I took her gloved hand and caressed it in mine. “You look so beautiful when you’re happy, and it’s impossible to look away.” 

“ _ Cas _ …” she groaned playfully, failing to hide her embarrassed smile or stifle her chuckle. 

“Why don’t we warm up inside?” I offered. “I’ll make you some hot cocoa and you can tell me all about your Christmases as a child growing up.” 

“I still can’t believe you’ve never celebrated Christmas,” she grumbled as I led her back inside our cozy cabin. “One would think that Christmas is a huge deal in Heaven, it representing Jesus Christ’s birth.” 

“I know,” I agreed. “But like I said, God banned it in Heaven after his fight with Jesus about humanity and how we should protect them from corruption instead of, in his words, ‘ _ fueling it _ ’.” 

I sat Kelly down in the living room to take off her boots, hat, and coat while I traveled into the kitchen to pour and stir the 3 ½ cups of milk into my simmered saucepan. After a few minutes, I removed the pan from the stove and poured and stirred in a spoonful of vanilla. Once I was sure it had cooled off enough, I poured some of my creation into Kelly’s pink “I Heart Kittens” mug. 

“Did you want whipped cream, Sunflower?” I called. 

“Yes, please,” she answered. “And no caramel, please, you know how much I hate the taste.” 

I obeyed her request, adding one swirl on her drink before pouring my own in a simple navy blue mug and giving it another swirl. Then, I took the handles of both mugs and walked into the living room, where Kelly was inserting a disk into the old television. She smiled upon seeing me and sat down next to me on the couch. 

“Thanks, honey,” she sighed as she accepted her mug from me. 

“What did you put in the television?” I asked. 

She gave a warm chuckle. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. I used to watch it as a kid.” 

“Red-Nosed…” I thought about it for a minute. “Is the red nose symbolic?” 

“Kind of,” she answered. “Rudolph is a reindeer that’s different from all the other reindeers because of his glowing red nose. He was made fun of and ostracised, so he ran away. But then… no, I don’t want to spoil it for you. Please, just watch it with me and try not to ask too many questions until the credits roll.” 

I sighed, but smiled. “I promise, Sunflower.” 

She smiled back and cuddled close to my chest before grabbing the remote and pressing ‘play’. The screen then turned to an animated scene of a live-action stock footage of snowstorm and newspaper articles such as  _ "Cold Wave in 12th Day", "We’re Frozen", "Ice Peril Warning", "Tough Going! Sanitation Army Digging Us Out" _ and  _ "Foul Weather May Postpone Christmas Day". _ It then faded to a stop-motion snowy world where a snowman wearing a waist coat, a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella was walking along the frozen stream. 

He turned to the screen and smiled.  _ “If I lived to be 100, I'll never be able to forget that big snowstorm a couple of years ago….” _

\------------------------------------------------------------

By the time Santa was shouting “Merry Christmas!  _ Merry Christmas! _ ” at the end, Kelly was close to sleeping but I was captivated by the movie. When it faded to black, part of me felt sad that it had ended so quickly, but another part of me was still replaying the movie in my head. 

“So Rudolph was made fun of for his glowing red nose, but in the end it was his nose that saved Christmas?” I asked. 

“Mhm,” my beloved murmured tiredly. 

“And Hermey became a dentist like he’d always wanted while Yukon finally found the thing he’d been searching for his while life?” I added. “And it was  _ peppermint? _ ” 

“Sometimes, the things you want the most turn out to be simple things,” she told me. “Take me, for instance: I was a Secret Service agent, but all I’ve ever wanted was a family of my own.” 

I thought, then realized how right she was. “My entire existence, I’ve been fighting for a purpose, for a  _ reason  _ to exist. Then I pulled Dean from Hell, and… I found meaning. I found… love… even if he didn’t love me back. And I know that it’s not fair to you or him, but he was the reason I kept fighting… I truly loved him, and now I have you and I… I feel the same love for you that I did for him. The only difference is… you actually love me back.” 

Kelly opened her sleepy eyes and smiled at me. “Of course I do, Cas. You’re my raven angel. I want you to be happy, and I want  _ our  _ son to be happy… even if I won’t be there.” 

“I promise you, I’ll do everything I can to save you,” I promised. 

She just sighed with a sad smile. “Well… you might as well make a wish tonight then. Maybe a Christmas miracle will save me, who knows? Do you have any other questions?” 

“Yes,” I replied. “There was a small collection of white berries hanging from the ceiling near the end, and Rudolph kissed Clarice after he saw it. Is that tradition?”

My beloved giggled. “Yes, it’s tradition. Those berries are called mistletoe, and it’s customary to kiss whoever is with you if you walk under them. It’s a Christmas symbol of love.” 

That caught my interest. “Does that mean people who kiss under mistletoe fall in love?” 

“Sometimes,” she said. “Personally, I’ve always believed in the magic of the mistletoe. I’ve kissed some people under it who later became boyfriends, but they never worked out.” She yawned and cuddled closer to me. “Cas, I’m really tired. What time is it?” 

I looked outside, noting that the sun had set while we were watching our movie. “Very late. Here, I’ll carry you to bed.” 

I stood up and picked her up bridal-style. She smiled into my chest and wrapped her arms around my neck for support. I walked up the stairs and into our shared bedroom, placing her carefully on the bed before crawling in myself. I wasn’t tired, but feeling Kelly’s soft and warm body lie on mine and hearing her sweet snoring was wonderful and comforting. It made me feel as though I would never be alone again, that my past was behind me, that I wasn’t a fallen angel whose friends hated him. 

I felt like a man in love. 

Kelly sighed into my chest as I buried my fingers in her hair. “Can I ask you something?” 

“You just did,” I reminded her. 

She chuckled at this snarky remark. “If you had kids of your own, what would you name them?” 

Taken aback by this question, I thought for a minute. “Well… I would want to name them after people I cared about, or give them a name that meant something special. If I had a son, I would name him after my father.” 

“God?” my beloved asked. 

I shook my head. “God created me, but he was never a father to me. My father… the man who taught me right from wrong and had faith in me… was an old drunkard named Bobby Singer. He was Sam and Dean’s father’s friend and a father figure to them, and eventually to me as well. He taught me that family doesn’t end in blood, how to be brave, and what family truly meant. So if I ever had a son, I would want to name him Bobby after the man I trusted as my father.” 

Kelly looked up with an interested smile, her eyes sparkling in fascination. 

“Now, if I had a daughter…” I continued. “I would give her a name that meant something important. Maybe I would name her after my best friend, Charlie, or name her after a flower or charm, something strong and important enough to show her that I loved her.” 

“I thought Dean was your best friend?” Kelly questioned. 

I sighed sadly and nodded. “He is, but there was a time when he left us because of a curse that forced him to kill. Sam gathered me, Rowena, and a friend named Charlie Bradbury to find a cure for him. Charlie and I became fast friends, and she immediately pegged us as best friends within the first five minutes of knowing each other. We talked at length about medieval times, something we both found exciting, and how much we cared about Dean. Unfortunately, Charlie and Rowena did  _ not  _ get along at all and Charlie left the safety of our hideout so she could work on her own. There was a deranged family looking for the same thing we were looking for… a  _ monster  _ family who took pleasure in human experimentation and advancement.” 

“Gross!” Kelly looked shocked and disgusted. “Like Frankenstein?” 

“Worse,” I answered. “They used  _ living subjects.  _ They wanted the encryption key Charlie was working on, but she refused to give it up. She died to get that key and send it to us. Rowena hasn’t so much as spoken of Charlie or insulted technology ever since.” 

I thought about Charlie, that sweet nerd with short red hair and big blue eyes who loved to laugh and talk about science fiction and magic. I remembered how easy it was to be…  _ cool _ around her. She didn’t berate me for speaking my mind, like my angel siblings did, or belittle or judge me like Dean sometimes did. No, Charlie was a wonderful person who gave her life for the people she loved…. In a lot of ways, she was just like Kelly. I knew that Charlie and Kelly would’ve been inseparable, had Charlie met her. The thought made my heart sink, remembering that Kelly, just like Charlie, was marked for death simply for putting her faith in the people she loved. I felt a fresh wave of rage surge through me at this. 

“I won’t lose you like I lost Charlie,” I said. “I refuse. I will find a way to save you, and you will meet  _ our  _ son and we will raise him together.” 

Kelly smiled and kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you, Cas. I know you’ll be a great father to our son.” Then, she laid her head back on my chest and caressed my hand. “Goodnight, honey.” 

I kissed her on the head and turned off the bedside lamp, cloaking us both in darkness. “Sweet dreams, my love.” 


	11. Chapter 11

_ Kelly  _

  
  


When I woke up on Christmas morning and Cas was gone, I felt my heart drop. I assumed he had left for work and that I would spend my last Christmas alone… or, sort of alone. I didn’t think much of the sweet aroma of pine and mint; I just chalked it up to my newly heightened sense of smell. I didn’t think about the shuffling downstairs or the Christmas music playing on the old recorder. Maybe Cas left it on or something, it didn’t matter. So I just brushed my hair and teeth and put on my pink slippers to walk downstairs, hoping that Cas left me something sweet. 

You can imagine my surprise when I saw my angel dressed in sweatpants and a green and red Christmas sweater under his trenchcoat, furiously whispering to a big blue box with a bright red ribbon. I looked around, realizing that, yes, the recorder was on but there were shiny candles that expelled the smell of mint, gingerbread, hot chocolate, cinnamon, and fresh pine that made me think that I was in a Christmas bakery and not my sweet cabin with my beloved angel. 

“ _ Cas? _ ” I gasped. “What is all this?” 

Cas jumped and turned to see me. “Kelly! I didn’t expect you to be awake yet.” 

“What is this?” I repeated. “I thought you would be at the Garden.” 

“What? Of course not,” he told me, confusion clear on his face. “I wouldn’t leave you alone, Sunflower, not today. Renee might call in an emergency, but I could never leave you alone on  _ Christmas _ of all days!” 

My heart swelled in affection and tears sprung to my eyes. “Oh, Cas…” 

He smiled and walked over to hug me. I hugged him back, my arms caressing his trenchcoat and my face buried in his soft and warm sweater that smelled like sugar and flour. I felt him kiss the top of my head and I blushed and rubbed my face against his chest. 

“Merry Christmas, Kelly,” he whispered. 

“Merry Christmas, Castiel,” I replied. “I can’t wait to show you your presents, you’ll love them!” 

“Not yet,” he said. “First, we’re going to have breakfast and watch the  _ Santa Clause  _ movies. Then we will exchange gifts-” 

“And rewatch the  _ Santa Clauses? _ ” I finished with a smile. 

He chuckled and nodded. “How did you know?” 

“Please let me give you one of the presents!” I begged. “ _ Please?  _ I’ve been waiting for so long to show you and I don’t think I can wait for much longer!” 

He sighed, looked over my pleading face and subtle whining, and sighed again. 

“Okay,” he murmured. “But let’s make this quick, I don’t want you to be hungry.” 

I nodded. “Why don’t you go get the muffins and I’ll get the present? I promise you’ll love it!” 

He seemed confused, but he trusted me so he walked into the kitchen to retrieve our breakfast. Once he was out of sight, I hurried behind the couch and pulled out the big red box that I’d hidden there last night. It wasn’t sealed, of course, so I pulled a blanket over it to hide what was inside. Then, Cas returned with a tray of blueberry muffins with a light dusting of cinnamon. He set it down on the coffee table and retrieved the blue box he was angry at earlier, smiling as he held it out to me. 

“I hope you like it, Kelly,” he told me. 

I smiled and set it to the side, nudging the big box towards him. “I’m sure I will. For now, look at yours.” 

He chuckled at my attempt at hiding what was inside the box, but when he pulled the blanket off and saw what was sleeping inside, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He was shocked and hesitant, but he slowly dropped his shaky hands into the box and pulled out the tiny brown ragamuffin kitten inside. 

The kitten mewed at being woken up, but quieted down when Cas pressed him against his warm chest. Then he began cuddling into Cas’ hold and licking at his fingers. He didn’t seem to mind how Cas’ hands were shaking, or how Cas’ tears dropped onto him and soaked into his fluffy brown fur. I took out my phone and snapped a picture of the adorable meeting before he could notice and tickled the kitten’s white stomach. 

“He’s a cutie, isn’t he?” I asked. “I went shopping a couple days ago and the cashier had a box of kittens that his cat had, and he couldn’t keep them. So I adopted this little guy and hid him until last night.” 

The kitten mewed for affection and Cas carefully cradled him into his warm arms. He quieted down, and Cas looked at me with more tears and a heartwarming smile. 

“You’re absolutely wonderful, Kelly,” he whispered, his voice shaking. “I can’t believe you’d do this…. He’s so small! Jack’s going to  _ love  _ him, both of them…” 

“Both of them?” I repeated, confused. 

He nodded excitedly, still smiling. “Open yours, sweetheart.” 

I felt my heartbeat quicken. Did he really…? No, it was impossible. Why would he…? 

Something in the box beside me moved. I stared in shock, now realizing that there was a small hole on each side of the box. Slowly, I unwrapped the red bow and pulled the top off, almost immediately being attacked by a small black and white ball of fur with blue eyes. Before I could even process what it was, it began licking its tiny tongue over my nose and rubbing its head against my face. I laughed and picked up the tiny dutch rabbit, holding it over my head to get a better look at it. 

“Oh, my goodness!” I gasped. “It looks like the Easter Bunny! It’s so cute! Cas, how… where…  _ when…?” _

Cas copied my earlier chuckle in response. “Someone left a box of bunnies at the Garden’s door. Renee found it and we spent the next few weeks giving them out to families who saw them… except this one who absolutely  _ refused  _ to leave me alone. She followed me everywhere and, if I was baking, would climb up my leg and sit on my shoulder, just watching what I was doing and often being my sampler. She’s been staying in my office at the Garden, but I brought her home early this morning. She was so excited, but getting her in that box was a  _ nightmare.  _ She kept trying to climb up my arms and once even made a mad dash for the stairs. Luckily, I caught her.” 

_ Awwwwww!  _ I thought, imagining my angel fighting fiercely with a small ball of black and white fluff. “She’s gorgeous, Cas. Thank you so much.” 

His smiled seemed to widen and he pressed another kiss to my forehead. “Merry Christmas, Sunflower.” 

I cuddled into his chest. “Merry Christmas, honey.” 

\---------------------------------

From there, we finished our breakfast and watched all the  _ Santa Clauses  _ together. Then, we unwrapped each other’s presents and the baby’s presents: Cas got me a beautiful dreamcatcher and a gorgeous white night gown, and gave the baby a big stuffed bee toy and mobile that played lullabies when spun. I gave Cas all three  _ Home Alones  _ and a black mug that said “ _ Number 1 Dad _ ”, and the baby a bunch of pajama onesies that looked like animals and a super soft fleece blanket. The kitten and bunny didn’t give anything except for adorableness and cuddles, which was more than enough. 

At my insistence, we spent the rest of the day watching the  _ Home Alones  _ and laughing at every trap and cliche joke, then debating about whether or not the parents were actually good parents or not. Then, somehow, the topic of soulmates came up and Cas’s eyes lit brighter than the star on our tree and he pulled me off the couch. 

“Cas, where are we going?” I asked. 

“This way,” he responded as he opened the front door. “Come on, Sunflower, there’s something I want to show you!” 

He led me outside and closed the door behind is. I took a moment to appreciate the beauty of winter: the snow covering the ground, the frozen lake, the icicles hanging from the roof, the snowy pine trees, all of it. Everything was cold, glimmering, and absolutely  _ beautiful  _ in my eyes. 

_ This is the most beautiful winter wonderland I have ever seen,  _ I thought. 

Cas gently tapped my shoulder and I turned to face him. He looked very nervous: blushing, rubbing the back of his neck, and even sweating a bit. I squinted at him curiously (a habit I picked up from him) and started to ask what was wrong, but I caught a glimpse of something small and white swaying from the porch’s ceiling. I looked up and I gasped in shock and awe. 

Hanging above me and my angel was a mistletoe. 

My mouth was hanging open and I couldn’t peel my eyes away from the berries, even though I knew that Cas was watching me and waiting for my reaction. When I didn’t say anything, he looked down in embarrassment and took a step back to give me some space. 

“I remembered what you said about the mistletoe,” he murmured. “Why Rudolph kissed Clarice, and what happened when you kissed people under it. And I know that you don’t think you’ll survive the birth, but you gave me faith and purpose again, you and the baby, and I don’t want to let you go. You’re the bravest, kindest, most selfless,  _ wonderful  _ woman I ever met, Kelly, and the thought of losing you…” He gently took my hands and looked me dead in the eye, finally forcing me to look away from the berries and into his soulful blue eyes. “...I won’t let it happen. I don’t care if Heaven tears out my wings, or if I get sent to Hell, or even if the Winchesters kill me. For the first time in eons, I’ve done something  _ right,  _ something worth dying for, and I understand now why Jimmy gave up his body for Claire… because he loved his daughter, and because he refused to let Amelia go through the pain of losing their daughter.” 

My heart pounded against my chest at his speech. “Oh, Castiel…” 

“You’ve given me faith, purpose, happiness, and love,” he told me. “I’m happy with you, and I would gladly give my grace, my life, and my home for you. I love you, Kelly Kline.” 

He leaned in a bit, and I felt tears spring to my eyes as I smiled at my angel, my  _ love.  _ “I love you, Castiel Winchester.” And I met him halfway and closed the space between us. 

_ Warm… soft… loving… is this how it feels to kiss an angel?  _

_ No, this is how it feels to kiss the love of your life.  _

We pulled away, staring at each other in awe. He cupped my face, gently caressing and petting my burning cheeks. In turn, I laid my hands on his chest and grabbed onto his sweater. It was warm and smelled like cinnamon, while his trenchcoat smelled of his natural scent of rosewater and ivy. 

Neither of us uttered a word. We didn’t have to; we knew what the other was thinking. I could practically hear his attempt to piece his mind back together and escape the awkwardness. Not that I was doing any better: inside, I was screaming and throwing a mini party that I’d kissed the angel my baby had chosen to be his protector, the angel who had given up everything for me and my baby. This celestial being who had once told me that my child was an abomination and swore to kill me was now holding my blushing mess of a face and staring at me like I was sparkling. 

Then, without any more hesitance, he leaned in and kissed me again. I allowed my eyes to shut and wrapped my arms around his neck. His thumbs continued to caress my cheeks as much as possible while I buried my hands in his handsome, beheaded, raven brown hair. Inside my stomach, my baby kicked excitedly and I felt his utter joy of knowing that his parents loved each other and him. I could feel his aura around us, hugging us both while trying not to interfere with our kiss. 

After a few minutes, we once again broke apart for air but kept our foreheads touching. As I gasped for breath, Cas sighed with a smile. 

“Wow…” he gasped. “I… I honestly don’t know what to say.” 

“Don’t,” I told him. “Just don’t let me go. Ever.” 

His arms wrapped around my waist. “Never. I promise, Sunflower.” 

I sighed in relief I didn’t know I didn’t have. “Good, good.” 

We stayed outside, just holding each other, for the next few minutes. I felt safe and warm in my angel’s arms, more loved and cherished than when I was in Rooney’s arms, and happier than any boyfriend I’ve ever been with. There was no doubt in my mind that Castiel Winchester was the love of my life, my brave knight in shining armor, the  _ true  _ father of my child, regardless of the monster who created him. 

“Castiel James Winchester…” I said. “Where have you been my whole life?” 

Cas chuckled and placed a kiss against my forehead. “If I was human, I would ask you the same thing.” 

I giggled and shivered against the frosty wind. Thankfully, Cas noticed and gently guided me back inside. We stayed on the couch for the rest of the night, rewatching all our new movies with our fur babies sleeping on our laps. And when I eventually fell asleep to the sweet melody of “Carol of the Bells”, I dreamed of snowy days, dancing furries, and a family of three who lived in perfect happiness and harmony. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, fellow Kelstiel shippers and Kline family! I need your help: what should the cat and rabbits' names be? Comment below any ideas and I'll write down all of them and do a raffle on them. Thanks in advance!


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